Chadwell Chatter - Angelo Ogbonna
WHUFC.com
Hello everybody,
We are still celebrating our victory over Liverpool and it was a great
performance from the team. We had good organisation and everything was
amazing. To end 52-years without a win is a long time for any team and the
coach prepared everything so well. We had a good game.
It is not just about one player but everyone in the team. When we have good
organisation everything gets better. When you win you enjoy the next game so
our preparations have a good feel about it at the moment and we want to put
things right (against Newcastle) because we are very annoyed about our last
two results at home. I hope the new signings will enjoy the West Ham
mentality and everything around the Club. The West Ham attitude is different
to other teams and I hope everyone is comfortable in this team. Alex Song is
a great signing for the Club. We need that kind of experience and he is
someone who has played at another level and it is great for us. We now look
forward to the Newcastle game on Monday night. It is not just about playing
under the lights, but we need to win for our home support. We are focused
and have to do everything to get the result. I want to concentrate and give
everything and all the players will prepare well to win the game. We have
been unlucky at home and we need to change and do something better than what
we did in the last two games. I am really enjoying life in London. I have an
English teacher and I want to improve my English. When I first arrived at
West Ham I said I wanted to improve so I can listen to everyone and
understand what everyone is saying. It might still take me six months to
understand Mark Noble and James Tomkins as they speak with a Cockney accent
but I will understand !!
See you on Monday.
Angelo
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Ricoh imagine change with the Hammers
WHUFC.com
West Ham United are delighted to announce an exciting long-term partnership
with global technology giant Ricoh. The deal will see Ricoh supporting West
Ham in servicing the new Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, bringing
state-of-the-art technologies to the Hammers' future home. The new
relationship will revolutionise the West Ham matchday experience come the
big kick-off in August 2016. Ricoh specialises in delivering business and
experience transformation via its IT and document services. The high-profile
partnership is the latest in the Club's ever-increasing sponsorship
portfolio, which continues to give the West Ham United brand further
prominence domestically and overseas.
West Ham United Commercial Director Felicity Barnard said: "We are
absolutely thrilled to be teaming up with a brand of this calibre. Ricoh has
a rich heritage and proven expertise in business and sports sponsorship.
"Above all, this will allow us to improve the supporter experience by
significantly enhancing our matchday offering. We believe this is a really
exciting partnership for the Club and look forward to working very closely
with Ricoh over the coming years."
Chas Moloney, Marketing Director at Ricoh, said: "We are delighted to have
become a partner of West Ham United and are excited to be working with them
on creating an exceptional fan experience at the new Stadium."
Ricoh are renowned for solutions that improve the interaction between people
and information. As a business, it prides itself on the quality of its
technology, the exceptional standard of its customer service and
sustainability initiatives.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Chauhan relishing life at West Ham
WHUFC.com
Indian international goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan spoke of her huge sense of
pride at playing for West Ham United Ladies. The shotstopper has attracted a
significant amount of media attention since joining the Hammers in the
summer. Speaking before the game against C & K Basildon at the Irons'
Hornchurch home later today, she said: "Playing for West Ham is a big
responsibility. But it is one that I enjoy and am very proud to be able to
play for them. "Since I joined, I've received a lot of messages from people
here and back home. I wasn't really expecting that to be honest. I feel like
I represent my country every time I play, which is a special feeling." While
the Hammers enjoyed an unbeaten pre-season campaign, Marc Nurse's side are
yet to recreate that form in the league, losing both of their opening games.
Despite the tough start, Chauhan is upbeat about her side's chances when
they play local rivals Basildon, who secured four points from their two
matches. "So far this season has certainly been an eye-opener. I feel
like I'm learning all the time and I can feel myself improving. "Overall, my
time in England has been a brilliant experience. I've really had a great
time, the people I've met have been fantastic. "It took a bit of time to
adjust, but the West Ham girls and the management have really helped me.
They've been so supportive and encouraging."
The Ladies host C & K Basildon at AFC Hornchurch tonight, kick off is
7.45pm.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
From the Newsroom - Dave Evans
WHUFC.com
The Recorder Group's West Ham United correspondent Dave Evans reflects on
the Hammers' start to the season and looks at a successful transfer
window...
In some ways the start of the season has been very West Ham, but then
winning at Anfield is not very West Ham as we all know.
That has to be one of the highlights for me, covering West Ham. It wasn't
just a smash and grab raid, but a superb performance. They outplayed
Liverpool and could have scored more.
They couldn't have complained had it been five. Liverpool barely had a
chance and that's not like West Ham games that I have seen there over the
years.
At home it has been a very different story so far, which is a bit of a
surprise because in recent times West Ham have been fairly good at home,
especially at the start of a season.
It's a bit of a puzzler. It seems that maybe the way Slaven has set up the
team has been great for away games, but if you set up the same way at home
it hasn't quite worked because teams sit back on you.
Perhaps he has to change things and perhaps these new signings will help do
that.
It certainly is strength in depth now, but also what West Ham have now is
something a bit different. Apart from Matt Jarvis they didn't really have a
winger. Now they've got two wingers and there's a lot of pace in that team.
I think that's going to help. He might have to play a slightly different
formation to play these wingers, but it gives him different options and if
Andy Carroll is coming back soon you're going to need wingers.
I'm hopeful for the season ahead, especially with the people he has added to
the squad. If there are injuries there are players to cover now.
I'm hoping for a little bit better than mid-table, although mid-table would
be fine this season because the most important thing is to stay in the
Premier League.
I'm thinking eighth, ninth, seventh. Who knows? But I think that would be a
good first season with the squad that he's got.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Downing - easy to leave West Ham
KUMB.com
Filed: Thursday, 10th September 2015
By: Staff Writer
Former Hammer Stewart Downing says he still has no regrets about leaving
West Ham in the summer - even though it meant dropping a division. The
31-year-old attacking midfielder, speaking in an interview with BBC Tees
claimed it was "an easy decision" to return to his boyhood club, once their
interest became apparent. "I'd spoken to the chairman and [manager] Aitor
[Karanka] and they had good plans here and were looking to strengthen the
team," he said. "He wanted me to be part of that playing as a number 10 or
as a wide man. "For me, it was a very easy decision to make. The chairman
asked if I was up for it and I said 'if you can make the deal happen and you
get me out of West Ham then I'm happy to come back'. "I gave my word that if
it happens then I'll be straight back. Fair play to the chairman, he did it
and got me back as quickly as he could."
The former England international spent two seasons at the Boleyn Ground and
played some of the best football of his career during the first half of last
season under Sam Allardyce. However his form - like that of the rest of the
squad - dipped alarmingly after Christmas and few Hammers fans were
disappointed to see him return to to the North East in July.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Michail Antonio at West Ham: Winger's journey from non-league
Last Updated: 08/09/15 7:16pm
SSN
Michail Antonio could complete his journey from non-league to Premier League
when West Ham host Newcastle United on Monday Night Football. Adam Bate got
the views of ex-team-mates and coaches to find out more about the Hammers'
new signing…
With Slaven Bilic's West Ham facing Steve McClaren's Newcastle, much of the
focus ahead of Monday Night Football will be on events that happened in
November 2007. It's indicative of how far he's come that West Ham's new £7m
signing Michail Antonio was lining up for Tooting & Mitcham United in the
second tier of the Isthmian League at the time.
Antonio's route to the top has been far from typical. There was no academy
life for him. Even when the big break did come with Reading, he made more
appearances out on loan at five different clubs than he did in four years
for his parent club. Former West Ham man Martin Allen, then in charge of
Cheltenham, was one of the coaches to give him a go.
"I took him on loan," Allen told Sky Sports. "He was a very pacey
right-sider with a long throw. A good athlete and a down-to-earth lad too."
But he was raw. During a later loan spell at Colchester, manager John Ward
described his finishing as "very wayward", bemoaning Antonio's unfortunate
habit of "knocking it on the A12".
There was potential but it would not be realised with the Royals. "Reading
took him and then let him go, surprisingly," added Allen. "They didn't
really sell him for enough money." It was in a Sheffield Wednesday shirt
that Antonio's development would really become apparent - off the field as
well as on it.
David Prutton, now a pundit with Sky Sports, was a team-mate for much of
Antonio's stay at Hillsborough and remains in touch. "I rang him before the
Forest game at the start of the season for a bit of insight," said Prutton.
"He was as good as gold and had plenty of time for me. Let's just say some
players might have been too busy.
"That non-league experience gives him perspective and the grounding you want
in a player. When he came to Wednesday, there was a bit of maturing that
happened that first season that endeared him to the lads too. He really grew
into it. That temperament is going to stand him in good stead."
He was a tremendous team-mate because of the attributes that he's got. He's
tremendously strong and quick. He's just so direct.
It's not that Antonio didn't have an ego, but that it was a positive - "you
need that to perform in front of 20,000 people" - and it wasn't long before
he emerged as Wednesday's most important player. In one of the
Championship's struggling sides, Antonio was the man who provided the
threat.
"He was a tremendous team-mate because of the attributes that he's got,"
said Prutton. "He's tremendously strong and quick. He's just so direct. When
you're at a team like Wednesday were at the time, what you want is that kind
of outlet like Antonio who can carry the ball 40 or 50 yards up the pitch.
He was a massive player for us."
A move to Nottingham Forest followed in 2014 and Antonio proved just as
vital to his new club. He scored 14 goals in the Championship last season
and ranked in the top three in the division for completed dribbles. Prutton,
a former Forest midfielder himself, feels that solo work should not be
underestimated - it's teamwork of a different type.
"There was one stage at Forest last season when Andy Reid and Britt
Assombalonga were out where it was literally, 'Let's give it to Antonio and
see what he can do with it'. That might sound like fun but when it's 90
minutes, twice a week for 10 months, that's going to take its toll. But he
understood and embraced that responsibility." And then some.
There was the goal against Bolton last season where he ran from inside his
own half before cutting inside to score with his right foot, having already
done something similar with his left foot against Brentford earlier in the
campaign. The control and composure to equalise against Fulham last
September was top class too. He's already scored four goals this season.
Now Antonio's lengthy journey from non-league to Premier League is complete.
In contrast, it's a relatively short one via the London Underground from
Tooting & Mitcham's Imperial Fields in Morden to West Ham's Upton Park and
while Antonio admits he's thrilled to be "back in London", the challenge
ahead of him is rather different now.
"West Ham brings the instant glare of the Premier League and competition for
places," said Prutton. "He's not going there as the main man as he was at
Wednesday and he became at Forest. He'll have to harness his performances
for the team but he can do that and it's all part of the learning curve."
Nevertheless, Antonio is confident of making an impact. "What I bring to the
table is pace, power and goals," he told his new club upon signing. Allen
agrees. "I think it's a very good signing - and a very exciting signing -
for West Ham." Bilic has no Luka Modric this time. But maybe it'll be a man
from Mitcham that can help ruin McClaren's night eight years on.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
HOME SWEET HOME
By Bianca Westwood 10 Sep 2015 at 17:00
WTID
I have a confession to make. Don't judge me. Ok you'll definitely judge me.
I haven't watched any international football. Not a goal, not a throw in,
not even a single kick. Tell a lie…I saw Rooney's 50th goal (well done
Wayne!) go in via a tiny, grainy video shot from the stands at Wembley on
someone's Facebook page. "Call yourself a football fan?!" Yeah some might
say that. I know. I get it. I just fell out of love with the internationals
somewhere in South America. Possibly before. That's not to say it won't
return. It usually does. Nine times out of ten I get whisked away with the
hype and the pre-tournament hope of the mad fan/media frenzy but I must
admit, last time out I felt a bit resigned even before Pitbull and JLo
started singing that dreadful World Cup song. I was as deflated as one of
Tom Brady's balls. After that debacle in Brazil not even Roy's 100% record
in the European qualifiers this time round could rouse me from my
indifference. I've always, always, always loved our national team…but this
time I just couldn't fake it. I've been led up the garden path way too many
times. How many years of hurt is it now?
So I'll be more than happy when the domestic action returns to our pitches
and screens this weekend. Natch. It's oh so quiet without it.
What a season we've had already. Even by West Ham's erratic standards it's
been a doozy. Ever heard of the Land of Topsy Turvy? (SJ Chandos I wrote
this before I saw your post and it's half past ten at night I'm not changing
it now ha!!) Where everything is downside up and outside in? I feel like
that's where we are right now! Who would have predicted a scintillating win
at the Emirates and a precious, but quite anomalous, victory at Anfield,
interwoven with a couple of abject performances at Upton Park against, no
disrespect, inferior opposition of the likes of Leicester and Bournemouth?
What's going on at the Boleyn then? Perhaps you can tell me because I don't
get there as much these days. I know the atmosphere is far less fierce and
foreboding for visiting teams than it once was. The fire and the fury seems
to be reserved for our own a lot of the time. I was listening down the line
from the gantry at the Valley when Soccer Saturday's Sir Jeffrey of Stelling
disdainfully revealed the Hammers fans were booing after twenty odd minutes.
That really disappointed me. It seems like we're so quick to turn nowadays.
Ok we were two nil down at the time but it's still too early to go rogue.
This isn't The Sons of Anarchy! We're not supposed to shoot each other. Not
unless our backs are really against the wall anyway.
I remember interviewing Big Sam last season about our unfavourable home form
and it was extremely unpleasant to learn how difficult it was for some
players to perform comfortably and confidently at Upton Park. He spoke to me
about how hesitant and reticent they would be at times, how uncomfortable on
the ball, how nervous of making a mistake and being the one responsible for
turning the tide and rousing the rabble. He didn't name names but I had an
idea of who he might be referring to. He also accepted that the
responsibility of developing their strength mentally and tactically was
ultimately down to him. He wasn't shirking, but it was revealing. It made me
think deeper about how important fans actually are. They can often make you
or break you. I don't have anyone screaming at me how useless I am when I'm
trying to work (not offline anyway!) so I don't know how it feels but I'm
sure it isn't the best environment to be in. I'm not having that 'we pay
their wages we can say what we like/they earn fortunes they should be able
to take it' argument either. There is a human element here.
It's not the fans' fault if things go wrong on the pitch either. Of course
it's not. If they feel the players aren't pulling their weight then they're
entitled to voice their displeasure in some way. But this is supposed to be
a collective. We're all in this together aren't we? Booing is not the
answer. I've said this before but it gets nasty too quickly and that's not
how Upton Park used to be. It doesn't make the players play any better.
That's why Bilic earns the big bucks. It's down to him to ring the changes
and solve the problems and, largely, he has done that to good effect in both
those home matches. Even in defeat there was never a capitulation or a
return to the long ball boredom that had us so enraptured last term. We
haven't sat back on leads away from home either. Ok so we've parked the bus
here and there but the handbrake was off wasn't it?! Or was it on? I can't
remember but the signs are good. Plus we have a few different names on the
team sheet this season who may be more able to withstand public and vocal
pressure. We'll see. I don't know if that particular monkey is still hanging
off of their backs but after the two home disasters we've had so far, Monday
night will be an interesting spectacle. Let's hope it's not the Hammers'
house of horror!
Does this mean if we lose then there's a problem at the Boleyn? I suppose it
depends on the nature of the performance, the effort, the end product. I
have to say I'm far more confident than I've been in recent years. Not
because it's a misfiring Newcastle we face either. After West Ham's
extravagant spending spree over the summer and in the transfer window we
look very well equipped. I'd say the the chairmen are extremely happy
shoppers. We have a quality squad there, with all sorts of attributes and
strengths at our disposal. More on that another time.
If Slav can get his players, both old and new, to realise their potential
and play with the freedom, poise and self-assurance we want to see, we
really could have an exciting team on our hands. The fans also have a vital
part to play! Maybe Hammers' years of hurt could be over…for a while at
least!!
Come On You Irons!!
B x
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WE COULD STILL STRUGGLE, SO LET'S SING WHEN WE'RE LOSING.
By Neil Clack 10 Sep 2015 at 08:00
WTID
I've read and heard a lot about the excellent atmosphere generated at
Crystal Palace these days. How do they do it? Is it the acoustics of their
old-style ground? One theory is that the South Londoners don't attract 'new
fans', so are still an old school community club (unlike their neighbours,
Chelsea and Fulham). Also too, it seems the fans are well-organised,
modeling themselves, and their singing, along continental lines.
No doubt there's a lot of truth in all of that, but I'd like to add one of
my own, and that is that ever since Palace came up in 2013, the extent of
their fans' expectations has simply been to stay up (well, until this
season, at least). From the very first kick of the first home match of the
season to the last, they've known that they're in for a struggle, and the
aim is to finish 4th from bottom – and they're fully aware that will
inevitably entail a few home defeats and conceding silly goals.
As recently as 2010, Crystal Palace nearly went bankrupt, and survival in
the Championship was only secured on the final day of the 2009/10 season.
They were still hovering around the bottom of the Championship in 2011, but
then somehow, against all odds, in the spring of 2013, they went on a run
and sneaked into 6th place in the Championship. Then, astoundingly, Palace
won the play-offs. Their fans just seem grateful to even be in the Premier
League, and seem to be loving every minute of it, singing their hearts out
like there's no tomorrow. It's been commented upon a lot how they continue
to sing, chant, bang at Selhurst Park even when they're losing.
For many of us who grew up in the electric atmosphere of Upton Park in the
70s and 80s, one of the most disappointing aspects of the West Ham crowd
today isn't so much the booing, as disagreeable as that is, but the lengthy
silences during passages of play, and the general all-round quietness.
Sometimes it seems we only make any noise when we score, and then it only
lasts for a few minutes before quietening down again. Back in the day, when
the opposition scored and the away fans cheered and sung, a lot of Hammers
fans would take that as an affront, and try to drown them out. Indeed, the
roar of 'C'mon You Irons' was often at it's most loudest just after the
oppostion had scored and we were about to kick off; the crowd desperately
wanted to spur their team on, get them back into the match.
Ok, so the terraces have gone, and times have changed, and I accept that you
can't live in the past, but what about that play-off semi-final against
Ipswich in 2004? Upton Park was rockin' that night, a deafening wall of
sound emanating from every part of the ground, as good as anything from the
70s, and we kept it up for the whole 90 minutes too. So, I cannot accept
that we can't make more noise at Upton Park.
But the will has to be there.
We can do it if really want to, but maybe first, we have to change our
mindset?
I was quite stunned whenever I broke my vow of promising to switch off from
football completely this summer, and sneaked a look at West Ham Til I Die. I
couldn't believe how high expectations were. Had my mind be playing tricks
with me from last Xmas to May? Had I imagined what I thought I saw at Upton
Park? – what I saw, or at least, what I thought I saw, anyway, was some
awful football, and a team that had the 3rd worst record in the Premier
league during that period ie. relegation form – a team that was certain to
go down this season if that form continued, and yet, posters on WHTID were
seriously discussing qualifying for Europe this season, talking about
finishing in the top 10 as if it was given. Based on what?
Ok, there's been a change of manager, and a few new signings (many of whom
are untried in Prem league), but personally, I'm under no illusion that this
season could be a struggle. Perhaps years of supporting West Ham have made
me cynical, and I've suffered too many West Ham disappointments in the past,
experienced too many relegations that we didn't see coming etc
But accepting we're going to struggle is a good place to start if you don't
want to get disappointed, ha,ha!
And maybe that's one of the reasons for the often subdued atmosphere at
Upton Park, and the horrible booing – expectations were too high in the
first place. When unrealistic aims aren't met that leads to disappointment,
followed by anger, and even booing?
I guess we're all a bit confused about our team at the moment. Which is the
real West Ham? The two excellent away perfomances, or the disorganised
shambles in the home games? It's not the results against Leicester and
Bournmouth that worries me, but the manner of those defeats. It wasn't just
the mistakes on the goals, but the defence was constanlty giving the ball
away all game long. I have to say though, my fears of relegation were
certainly eased by that brilliant historic day in Liverpool. No doubt I'll
start fretting again when we lose to Newcastle next Monday, only to change
my mind 5 days later when we go up to Man City and stuff them on the
Saturday!
For now though, until these muddy waters have cleared, I still fear
relegation. So, starting with the relegation 6-pointer against Newcastle (a
team who I seriously think could go down this season), let's get right
behind the team, lower those expectations, and Sing When We're Losing!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Most read
Top Videos
News
Politics
Football
Sport
Celebs
TV & Film
Weird News
TRENDINGWAYNE ROONEYENGLAND FOOTBALL TEAMANTHONY MARTIALDAVID DE GEASAIDO
BERAHINO Technology Money Travel Fashion Mums
Home
Sport Football West Ham United FC
West Ham midfielder Alex Song pencilled in for October return from ankle
injury
15:52, 10 SEPTEMBER 2015
BY ADRIAN KAJUMBA
The Cameroon international has rejoined the club from Barcelona on a second
loan deal but has been struggled with an ankle problem
The Mirror
Alex Song will be fit to resume his West Ham career next month. Midfielder
Song, who spent last term on loan at Upton Park, rejoined the Hammers on
deadline day on a season-long loan from Barcelona. The move was held up due
to concerns about the 28 year-old's fitness.
But Song has been pencilled in for an end-of-October comeback from his ankle
injury. The Hammer also hope to have striker Enner Valencia back ahead of
schedule in November after he suffered "significant" ankle and knee injuries
at the start of the season. Forward Mauro Zarate is closing in on a return
after missing West Ham's last two games with a hamstring injury.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Allardyce alert: Big Sam starts bleating on Twitter
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 10, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Well it had to happen eventually – Sam Allardyce has arrived on Twitter!
We've always had a sneaky feeling the bloke kept a keen eye on everything
that was happen in La La land. And now, along with the likes of Joey Barton
and a certain Harry Redknapp, he is among us.
If you would like to send a loving message to the former Hammers boss we're
sure he would like to hear from you. You can reach him at: @OfficialBigSam
The old boy has managed just one tweet so far and his profile picture
appears to be the front cover of his forthcoming autobiography.
So far, Allardyce has attracted more than 3,000 followers.
No doubt, he'll soon be getting a few more. And then the fun will really
begin!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
For goodness sake, Downing – this is getting boring!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 10, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Stewart Downing really does need to get over his departure from West Ham and
sudden move back to the north east.
The bloke just can't keep his criticism of West Ham to himself and seems to
be on the mother of all missions to slag off his former employers.
Downing has twice taken a pop at manager Slaven Bilic for refusing to give
him assurances that he'd be part of his first team plans and thus scarpered
to the Championship with Middlesbrough.
You would have thought that after repeating that at least twice he'd
possibly believe that was enough! But nope, this time he has his sights set
on owners David Sullivan and David Gold.
He's now popped up on BBC Radio Tees to mouth his frustrations at the two
Davids for keeping his transfer "up in the air", claiming they make exits
'difficult and suggesting that the pair are entertaining in their activity.
He said: "Some days I thought 'I could be heading back home today' and then
another week [would go by] and a fee [still] has to be agreed.
"West Ham is obviously a difficult place to get out of. If you've ever dealt
with the owners… they're certainly entertaining."
The former England international suggested that his move to Middlesbrough
was made more difficult by having to negotiate with Gold and Sullivan.
However, he also admitted the pair did what was best for their club – even
if that left players frustrated at times.
He really does need to give it a rest. His was a very small move and the
whole saga has become very boring!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Cottee on Carroll: it's now 'make or break' for Andy
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 10, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Tony Cottee reckons record signing, Andy Carroll, could move on if things
don't work out for him at Upton Park this season! The former Hammers
goal-scoring legend has given his frankest ever interview in the
ClaretandHugh interview section of the MooreThanJustaPodcast, which will can
be heard early next week. "We have four fantastic strikers when they re all
fit and whether AC will be happy as a sub I don't know, but I doubt it,"
commented Cottee. "If, at the end of the season, he hasn't got in as a
regular, like Paul Goddard in my day, who couldn't get past Frank McAvennie,
or myself, and moved on – Andy may do the same." In the podcast, TC covers
his own Irons days as a player, the Allardyce era and gives his assessment
on this season's "best since the turn of the century"squad.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Options galore but here's our Irons team
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 10, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Slaven Bilic has more options in front of him for Monday night's game than
many West Ham managers before him. But this in itself can cause a dilemma
particularly with various well rated newcomers he may or may not choose to
draft into the side. An argument has been presented on some forums that we
can hardly change the team to that which scored such an historic victory at
Anfield – I disagree. That team was set up as a counter-attacking outfit and
has already been shown that is not a system which works at the Boleyn where
we HAVE to carry the game to opponents. You can bet your life away that
struggling Newcastle, with two points from four games and second off bottom,
will come to defend and thus we need to find a way of at last getting that
much needed win at home. It's a very long time since we have had the
wonderful problem in front of us but it makes team selection – as mentioned
up top – very difficult.
Carl Jenkinson has served out a one match ban and is available but I'd stick
with James Tomkins at right back behind Victor Moses Reid, Ogbonna and
Cresswell speak for themselves with Noble, Kouyate and Moses in an advanced
right sided role. I'd plump for Antonio on the other side with Payet behind
Sakho as main striker of course. But it's a tough old call and is hard on
Manuel Lanzini who looked a real prospect at Liverpool and Mauro Zarate (if
fit) who has done nothing wrong. Oh and we haven't mentioned Andy Carroll!
But at last we have a squad we can rotate. We are stepping up a level and I
thing the side I've named would give us the attacking impetus and creativity
we need to get results.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The curious, confusing case of West Ham's start to life under Slaven Bilic
They have scored a lot of goals and beaten Arsenal and Liverpool away, but
they have also lost to Leicester and Bournemouth at home. At least it's not
boring
By Martin Laurence for WhoScored?, part of the Guardian Sport Network
Thursday 10 September 2015 10.33 BST
A fair proportion of West Ham fans were given their wish when Sam Allardyce
left the club at the end of last season. The supporters had become tired of
what was considered a predictable style of play, despite the way he took
them out of the Championship and established the club as a solid Premier
League outfit in his four years in charge.
Signing Dimitri Payet, Manuel Lanzini, Pedro Obiang and Angelo Ogbonna in
the summer lifted the supporters' spirits further, with all four players
having already proven their quality at times this season. Payet in
particular was a real coup and he has made a strong start to the campaign,
with a goal and an assist and the highest averages of key passes (2.3) and
dribbles (2.5) per game for the club.
A flurry of business on deadline day will also have excited many supporters
but, despite adding strength in depth, the additional numbers may confuse
matters a little. Victor Moses and Michail Antonio look like shrewd signings
but fitting them in alongside Payet and Lanzini will be a difficult task,
while Alex Song's return could restrict Obiang's playing time. All of the
players have made the squad stronger but keeping them all content will prove
a tough ask.
Transfer deadline day: De Gea deal off, Berahino anger, Martial signs and
more – as it happened
Interesting that Liverpool have let Ilori, Coates & Glen Johnson leave.
Presumably that means there were at least 3 defenders worse than Lovren at
the club.
Read more
Nevertheless, the fact that Slaven Bilic's reign has begun in such
unpredictable fashion both on and off the pitch has gone some way to giving
the supporters what they wanted. However, while the Croatian has only been
at the club for a few months, it's fair to say the novelty of upsetting the
odds at Arsenal and Liverpool while losing winnable fixtures at home is
unlikely to last.
The positives to take from beating two of the league's big hitters are
dampened by poor displays at home in the club's last season at the Boleyn
Ground. The supporters would love to bid farewell to their old ground with
far more impressive showings than they managed against Leicester and
Bournemouth.
The ease with which their defence was exposed in these games is a real
concern. A tally of three errors that have led directly to goals is
unsurprisingly the highest in the top flight and already half of what they
accrued under Allardyce last season.
West Ham's surprising wins on the road have come courtesy of a
counter-attacking style of play that, while effective in away matches, is
unlikely to be well received at home in games supporters expect to win. It's
on the break though, that their best players can thrive and it's an approach
that has helped the club score the second most goals in the Premier League
after four matches (nine, behind only Manchester City on 10).
West Ham are one of only six teams to have scored in all of their matches so
far, having failed to score in seven of their last 14 league games under
Allardyce. It took them 15 games – stretching back to 8 February – to score
as many league goals at the end of Allardyce's tenure as they have managed
in the first month of this season under Bilic. Those are the sort of figures
that will justify the decision to part ways with Allardyce, but the security
he offered the team has been jeopardised.
Throughout his managerial career Bilic has given off the impression that he
likes being the underdog, presiding over impressive performances against
English opposition in both club and international football in the past.
Already, with the pressure off, West Ham have thrived under his leadership
away from home, with his motivational skills and infectious personality
paying dividends.
However, the jury remains out on the Croat's tactical acumen. His time in
Besiktas is considered as something of a failure due to his inability to win
the matches that mattered most to the club. In eight Istanbul derbies
against Galatasaray and Fenerbahce in the league he was criticised for
adopting too cautious an approach. Bilic couldn't manage a single victory in
those games, losing five and having four players sent off in typically
heated affairs.
Bilic's playing style was aggressive and he has taken that mindset into
management, with his passion getting him in trouble on multiple occasions.
Having qualified for the Europa League's preliminary rounds due to their
disciplinary record last season, West Ham have had a player sent off in six
of their 10 competitive outings this season. There is a sense of chaos about
the side and it makes you wonder if the departure from the predictability
under Allardyce could have been too extreme.
They host Newcastle on Monday and anything less than a win would represent a
real disappointment for the fans. Another spectacular victory away from home
against Manchester City the following week would be even more bizarre than
their wins at the Emirates and Anfield, but it would be in keeping with the
start to Bilic's term.
If the fans desired a move away from the predictable nature of results the
team managed under Allardyce, their wishes have been granted. The grass may
yet be greener at the Olympic Stadium next season though, with Bilic's time
in charge already looking likely to be a tumultuous one.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
STRIKER SET FOR NEWCASTLE COMEBACK
By Michael Brown
readwetsham.com
West Ham only have two injury concerns going into the weekend clash with
Steve McClaren's Newcastle as Mauro Zarate could be fit to face the Magpies
on Monday night as well as former Newcastle player Andy Carroll, who has
also returned to training. Despite the good news, there are still two
players who won't be ready to play until the end of October. Alex Song, who
signed on Deadline Day, won't be ready to play until West Ham face Chelsea
on October 24 after undergoing surgery. Enner Valencia is still a little
further away from making his return as he is not expected to feature for
West Ham until the end of November – The Hammers' clash with Spurs being
touted as his return to action barring any setbacks.
West ham's head of medical and sports science Stijn Vandenbroucke had this
to say about the on-going injuries at the club: "Mauro Zarate is progressing
well and working hard to return after suffering a hamstring injury in
training, with a view to returning to the group before the end of the week
"One of our new signings, Alex Song, is working hard – as you will have seen
on social media – and his ankle is improving, with a view to him returning
by the end of October. "Enner Valencia is rehabbing with a good positive
attitude and we hope to see him return by November."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Amalfitano To Be Farmed Out To Tractor Boys
Submitted by nevillenixon on Thu, 10/09/2015 - 12:06
westhamfans.org
Morgan Amalfitano looks as if he will be the first of several West Ham
United players to be sent out on loan now the 'emergency' transfer window is
open. During the window, players may be loaned from the Barclays Premier
League to lower league clubs for up to three months. Championship team
Ipswich Town have expressed an interest in taking Amalfitano, who has fallen
out massively with Hammers manager Slaven Billic and has been banished to
train away from the first team. Hopes of a reconciliation between Amalfitano
and Billic, who is well known for his tough disciplinary approach, have not
come to fruition, thus making the player's position at the club untenable.
30 year old Amalfitano could well end up in the same team as ex-hammer
Freddie Sears, who has been a great success at Portman Road since his
arrival via Colchester. Ipswich are currently third in the Championship but
were beaten 3-2 at home by Brighton in their last match.
Some West Ham fans will be sorry to see Morgan Amalfitano leave the club,
but he does have a growing reputation for being indisciplined and perhaps
dropping down a division will show him what he is missing, and what he must
do to try and rebuild bridges. - Ed
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus
Friday, September 11
Thursday, September 10
Daily WHUFC News - 10th September 2015
Classic Match - Boys of '86 batter Baggies
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Boys of '86 were virtually unbeatable at the Boleyn Ground
during their record-setting 1985/86 season. The Hammers won 17 and lost just
two of their 21 home Division One matches, scoring 48 goals and conceding
just 16. John Lyall's team hit top form at home to West Bromwich Albion on
30 November 1985, with Alan Devonshire, George Parris, Geoff Pike and Neil
Orr scoring in a 4-0 victory that took the Hammers third in the table. On
Monday 14 September, the Boys of '86 will be honoured as part of the Club's
Farewell Boleyn celebrations at the Barclays Premier League fixture with
Newcastle United.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
From the Treatment Room
WHUFC.com
Hello everyone,
We have had a different sort of week this week, with it being the
international break and eleven players being away on duty with their
countries, and four new signings to work with.
With less players around, it gives us the opportunity to focus even more
closely on the rehabilitation with the injured players, and on getting the
new signings and those players returning from injury fitter and sharper.
At the end of the micro cycle we had with the smaller squad, we held an
11v11 match at Chadwell Heath to simulate match conditions and give valuable
minutes to the likes of Andy Carroll, Michail Antonio, Victor Moses and
Nikica Jelavic.
We hope to have all the players back from international duty free from
injury and it will be good to get the whole group back together on Friday,
after the players' day off, and then we will be fully focused on preparing
them for Monday's home game against Newcastle United.
Injury-wise, we do not have too much to report.
Mauro Zarate is progressing well and working hard to return after suffering
a hamstring injury in training, with a view to returning to the group before
the end of the week.
One of our new signings, Alex Song is working hard – as you will have seen
on social media – and his ankle improving, with a view to him returning by
the end of October.
Enner Valencia is rehabbing with a good positive attitude and we hope to see
him return by November, while finally Joey O'Brien is still recovering from
a calf injury.
Stijn Vandenbroucke
Head of Medical and Sports Science
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Cresswell excited by new arrivals
WHUFc.com
Aaron Cresswell says he is excited by the four new arrivals on transfer
deadline day and hopes the Club enjoy a memorable final season at the Boleyn
Ground. After beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield, Slaven Bilic was left
celebrating again when the Club enjoyed a great end to the transfer window
bringing in Alex Song, Victor Moses, Michail Antonio and Nikica Jelavic.
Cresswell played with Song last season and knows the quality he will bring
to the first-team. The talented full-back is also relishing the chance to
play alongside the other three arrivals and feels the squad is looking very
strong and has strength in depth throughout the team. Cresswell said: "There
were four who came in on the last day, and we know Alex from before. "But
the ones that came in during the summer as well have been fantastic from the
moment they walked in the door and hopefully the new boys can hit the ground
running straight away as well on Monday (against Newcastle).
"We have brought four in and it definitely adds to our strength in depth."
Cresswell is still celebrating the famous win at Anfield last week and says
it was a day he will never forget – especially as most of his family were
sitting in the Liverpool end !! The Hammers managed to finally end 52-years
without getting an away win over the Reds and the Hammers full-back says all
the players are brimming with confidence over the international break.
Cresswell produced a superb display in the West Ham defence and was happy to
put behind him the mistakes that were made against Bournemouth in the
previous home game. He added: "My dad used to take me to Liverpool games
when I was younger and I used to go myself when I was a bit older. "To turn
Liverpool over away, 3-0 at Anfield was a great achievement and a real team
performance. "It was extra special because all my family were there, they
were all sitting in the Liverpool end. They are all Liverpool fans, so it
was a great day all round. "We were so full of confidence after the game and
we would have liked to have played the next day. But coming off the back of
that victory at Anfield, where we hadn't won in 52 years, it was a good day
all round. "I take full responsibility for the two sloppy mistakes I made
(against Bournemouth), but that is where you know you have to be strong and
you have to bounce back. To do it at Anfield was special. "Every footballer
has ups and downs and you have to take the good with the bad and be a strong
player."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Lanzini scores wonder goal
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's new signings Michail Antonio and Nikica Jelavic wasted no
time getting among the goals in training but it was Manuel Lanzini who stole
the show as the players looked to impress Slaven Bilic ahead of the Monday
night game against Newcastle. In a training ground match, Antonio showed his
aerial ability when he scored from a corner and Jelavic scored with an
impressive diving header from close-range. But the pick of the bunch came
from Lanzini who followed up his first Premier League goal at Anfield with a
sublime piece of skill when he scored a rabona goal to show his quality once
again.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WHAT A KOP OUT
By Iron Liddy 9 Sep 2015 at 17:00
WTID
I was thinking about what Sean said in bed yesterday morning …. hmm, perhaps
I should rephrase that. See the trouble that bad grammar can get you into?!
I was in bed yesterday morning thinking about the fact that Sean had just
referred to the new East stand in the OS as 'Kop style' in his article on
Claret & Hugh and as comments started to trickle in I could see that I'm not
alone in being unhappy about the term. As a West Ham supporter who has
already bought my seat in the East stand I have a particularly vested
interest in what it's called and I admit that it did rankle when the term
'Kop' was bandied about during Karren Brady's marketing videos and at our
presentation at the reservation centre back in May.
As I lay there pondering the issue I realised that I didn't even know where
the name 'Kop' originated. Being a bit of an anorak when it comes to
etymology I decided to Google. No doubt many of you football buffs are
already cognisant with its origin but I hope you'll bear with me while I
share the story for the benefit of those who aren't, because it is actually
quite an interesting piece of football history.
To me the Kop has always been synonymous with Anfield and I've always
presumed that it was peculiar to that stadium; so I was surprised to learn
that the first time the term was applied to a football stand was actually at
Woolwich Arsenal's Manor Ground in 1904. A local newsman likened the
silhouette of fans standing on a newly raised bank of earth to soldiers
standing atop the hill at the Battle of Spion Kop.
The Battle of Spion Kop had been fought four years earlier during the Second
Boer War on 23rd and 24th January 1900. It was fought between the South
African Republic and the Orange Free State on the one hand and British
forces on the other, during the campaign to relieve the nearby city of
Ladysmith. Spion Kop was the largest hill in the region, being over 430
metres (1,410 ft) in height and it lay almost exactly at the centre of the
Boer line. If the British could capture this position and bring artillery to
the hill then they would command the flanks of the surrounding Boer
positions. As it transpired, it was a British defeat.
Of all the Boer War battles Spion Kop retains an appalling notoriety for the
incompetence of British leadership and the slaughter of the small number of
men engaged on each side in the struggle for the top of the hill. The battle
graphically showed the failure of the British Army to understand the
requirements of modern warfare as their tactics failed to cope with powerful
long range artillery and magazine rifle fire. In addition it highlighted the
need for proper systems of communications and reconnaissance, as well as
maintenance of chains of command in action and training and leadership at
all levels.
It is also famous for being the battle during which the young Winston
Churchill and Mahatma Gandhi found themselves on the same hillside.
Churchill was a journalist stationed in South Africa and he had also been
commissioned as a lieutenant in the South African Light Horse by General
Buller after his well publicised escape from Boer captivity. Churchill acted
as a courier to and from Spion Kop and General Buller's HQ; while Gandhi
performed the role of stretcher-bearer in the Indian Ambulance Corps he had
organised.
Although the common English name for the battle is Spion Kop, throughout the
Commonwealth and its historical literature the official South African
English and Afrikaans name for the battle is Spioenkop. Spioen means "spy"
or "look-out", and kop means "hill" or "outcropping."
In 1906 Liverpool Echo sports editor Ernest Edwards pinched the London
journalist's term for Arsenal's bank of earth when he wrote of a new
open-air embankment at Anfield:
"This huge wall of earth has been termed 'Spion Kop', and no doubt this apt
name will always be used in future in referring to this spot."
The name was formally applied in 1928 upon construction of a roof.
Subsequently Liverpool FC fans have credited the Kop with being a memorial
to the fact that it was members of the Lancashire regiments who fell during
the battle but in fact regiments from all over the UK were present and also
suffered losses.
Further research revealed a bigger gap in my knowledge of football grounds
than I originally thought. Although it was the first terrace officially
named Spion Kop, many other English football clubs and some Rugby league
clubs applied the same name to stands in later years. Villa Park's old Holte
End was historically the largest of all Kop ends, closely followed by the
old South Bank at Molineux, both once regularly holding crowds in excess of
30,000. In more modern times work was completed on Hillsborough's Kop in the
mid 1980s which, with a capacity of around 22,000, made it the biggest
standing area in Europe at the time. After the Hillsborough disaster in
1989, the Kop was the last part of the Sheffield Wednesday ground to be
converted to all-seater accommodation, the change finally coming in 1993 to
comply with new FA Premier League regulations following the Taylor Report.
This had the effect of halving the capacity, but the Hillsborough Kop
remains one of the largest single tier stands in Britain.
A full list of British grounds with a history of a Kop stand can be found
here: Spion Kop Stadiums
Worried that it was just me who was oblivious to the history and existence
of Spion Kop stands in British football grounds and that my article would
have you all tutting and yawning, I quizzed Mr Lids. He also didn't know the
origin of the term or that it was applicable to any ground other than
Anfield. So cheers Sean, thanks to you I learned something new in bed
yesterday morning that my husband couldn't have taught me! ;)
So now we're all up to speed on Spion Kop stands I can't say that I'm any
more enamoured with it as a name for our new East stand at the OS. 'Iron
Kop' might have a bit of a ring to it in parodical terms but it's not
exactly auspicious is it? The site of a British defeat due to the
incompetency of our leaders. Not only that, you can't help but think of a
seething mass of Scousers whenever the name is mentioned. Nah.
So we need a name for the East stand. The North and South stands are already
taken care of and will proudly bear the names of our heroes Messrs Moore &
Brooking as they do at the Boleyn. No doubt the West stand will be the
Betway stand for the foreseeable future but the East remains nameless, as
far as we know.
Inevitably the question has already been posed and I've seen many calls for
it to be called the Chicken Run in order to retain the links with our past.
As a sucker for nostalgia myself I can empathise with that desire but the
compact, almost cosy image that the name conjures up seems too incongruous
with the vastness of our new East stand somehow. Personally I think it would
be good to have at least one stand with a brand new name to reflect both our
history and our new era and that the ghosts of the Chicken Run are better
left swaying gently in the past.
So instead of getting out of bed to feed the cats and make the tea I lay
there thinking laterally. With a founder fortuitously named Arnold Hills
that would seem an obvious choice, what with the word 'kop' being Afrikaans
for 'hill'. In your best Julie Andrews voice: "The Hills are alive with the
sound of Bubbles …." Perhaps not.
This set me off thinking about hills and high places in Newham ….. Beckton
Ski Slope? Nope, that's just taking the piste. Probably the highest points
games at The Boleyn have been watched from are the flats in Priory Road or
the block that used to stand behind the North Bank; which was famously, and
dangerously, used as a grandstand when West Ham played Hereford in an FA Cup
fourth round replay in 1972. 'ealf and Safety? That's for yer bloody pansies
innit, as dear old Alf would say.
Hmm, The Priory? That sounds like an appropriate place for 20,000 poor souls
hopelessly addicted to West Ham with little chance of recovery. I don't
think I want to sit in a stand with a name that's synonymous with
rehabilitation though ….. in the words of Luther Ingram, if loving you is
wrong, I don't wanna be right.
What about our shipbuilding heritage? Surely that's a rich vein of
inspiration I pondered. A bit of horizontal Googling revealed that the final
battleship to be built by Thames Ironworks was HMS Thunderer, the last and
largest warship ever built on the River Thames. The Thunderer? That isn't a
bad name for a wall of noise. However, further reading revealed that before
she was built Thames Ironworks had been struggling for some time, with most
orders going to the Northern yards. Arnold Hills threatened parliament with
the prospect of some awkward questions and as a result Thames Ironworks
received the order for the Thunderer. Although it was a very important and
prestigious order, the building of HMS Thunderer broke the shipyard. Even
though Britain was in the grip of a massive naval shipbuilding race the
banks withdrew their loans and the Thames Ironworks shipyard at Bow creek
went into bankruptcy, causing massive unemployment in Blackwall and Canning
Town. Not such a good omen then.
Next I began to think about the characteristics of the battleships
themselves and hit upon the idea of The Broadside. As I'm sure you know, the
broadside is the side of a ship and specifically the battery of cannon on
one side of a warship. Additionally, the term broadside is a measurement of
a vessel's maximum simultaneous firepower which can be delivered upon a
single target. This is calculated by multiplying the shell weight of the
ship's main armament shells times the number of barrels that can be brought
to bear. Perfect, so our maximum simultaneous fan-power from The Broadside
of our new stadium will be 20,000 x as loud as we can bloody sing. WE ARE
SLAVEN'S CLARET AND BLUE NAVY!! That'll confuse the buggers and blow them
out of the water.
By now the cats were scratching the carpet in hunger and my husband was
beginning to stir so it was time to abandon my solitary brainstorming
session to the conclusion that there really is no better name than The
Boleyn Wall, which is already a popular choice among many West Ham fans. It
tells the story of an important part of our heritage and would ensure that
the name of our home for over a century stays on the lips of our fans for
generations to come. We may not be taking the castles with us physically but
metaphorically we could create a formidable fortress of fans with The Boleyn
Wall.
COME ON YOU IRONS!
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
THE NEWCASTLE UNITED MATCH - TAKE IT 'NICE AND STEADY' TO SECURE THE WIN!
By S J Chandos 9 Sep 2015 at 08:00
WTID
Without a shadow of doubt, It has so far been a right topsy-turvy season.
Who would have predicted in pre-season that we would gain maximum points
away to Arsenal and Liverpool and lose both home fixtures to Leicester City
and Bournemouth? Although those two home defeats were quite uncomfortable to
watch, the fact is that, in the long run, the results probably did Slaven
Bilic a massive favour. It undoubtedly concentrated the minds of the board
and strengthened Bilic's hand in pushing for the final four squad
reinforcements that have addressed the obvious prior lack within the squad.
Now we have strength in depth in virtually all positions, players that
address the lack of width and a good quality striker to cover injury
absences and increase competition up front. As a said during the transfer
window, I have no reservations about recruiting Jelavic. He can score goals
in the PL, especially with far better players around him then at Hull City.
Plus, there is the additional factor of the prior Bilic-Jelavic connection
via the Croatian national team. If anyone can get the best out of the player
then it is undoubtedly Slaven Bilic.
Personally, I have always been an advocate of the fast counter-attacking
game, especially away from home. The last time we played that type of game
well was probably when we had Craig Bellamy up front. So, the addition of
two skilful, pacy and powerful wide men, in Moses and Antonio, is a very
exciting proposition. I expect Bilic to start with Moses and Jelavic on
Monday evening when we host Newcastle Utd. It is probable that Antonio will
start on the bench and will be gradually introduced to the greater demands
of the PL. Moses is a fast and skilful wide man who can add a whole new
dimension to our attacking play. We all recall how well Moses did with Stoke
City last season and there is no reason why he should not now build upon
that with West Ham. I always tend to think of Moses as more of a provider
than a goal scorer, but hopefully he will still be able to chip in with his
fair quota of goals the season. If Moses is fast and skilful, Antonio is a
pacy and powerful winger, with the potential to score goals. Last season he
scored 15 goals for Notts Forest and that is an impressive return for a
winger. The question is whether he can make the goal scoring transition from
the Championship to the PL? I feel that he can and if he scores 8-10 goals
in his PL debut season that would be a very good return.
Indeed, any side with players that can contribute goals from midfield and/or
out wide has an enormous advantage. It takes some of the pressure off the
strikers and ensures that opposition teams have other goal scoring threats
to worry about. So, to get a goal scoring wide man in the transfer window is
a real positive, although, as I said, it is probably the best strategy to
manage Antonio's introduction to PL action. I would be surprised if Bilic
starts with two wingers, although stranger things have happened! That can
only happen if Bilic starts with just Sakho leading the attack. If he opts
to play Jelavic off of Sakho, then he will probably go with just Moses, with
Lanzini or Payet on the opposite flank. All will be revealed on Monday
evening?
Our fourth transfer deadline day addition, Alex Song, will not come in to
the first team reckoning until approximately November. Although the move was
complicated, and delayed, by Song's summer ankle surgery, it is great to
have him back on board again. As we know he is a very powerful and
influential midfielder, who was instrumental in our excellent (pre-Boxing
Day) start to last season. Yes, his form dropped off quite a bit in the New
Year, but we now know that was probably caused by the negative effects of
his ankle problem. There is every prospect that Song can now regain his
fitness and get back to his very best form.
Equipped with our new summer additions, we now need to start rectifying our
poor initial home results. And probably the best way to do that is to start
the match 'nice and steady,' exerting the type of discipline and control
that we exhibited at the Emirates and Anfield. Yes, I want to see us play
with pace and tempo, but lets not start recklessly and get caught out at the
back. If we concede an early goal then doubts will enter the heads of our
players and that is something best avoided. Our players need to retain
possession, pick their passes and control the match. In the last two home
matches we have found ourselves 0-2 down early, caught cold on the
counter-attack and undermined by defensive mistakes. So, lets cut out the
silly mistakes, ensure that we keep it tight at the back, dominate play and
open up 'as and when.' If we manage to go 1-0 up then that will force
Newcastle Utd to throw caution to the wind, to save the match, and create
more space for our forwards to exploit.
Firstly, we need the win, but it would be a double positive if we could win
convincingly and restore our shaken self-confidence at Upton Park. To do
well this season and challenge for a top 6 finish (why not aim high?) we
need to ensure that we maximise the number of points won at Upton Park and
supplement that with a decent points haul on our travels. In short, yes, we
do need to make Upton Park a fortress again, a place that intimidates the
visiting opposition teams and where we win consistently.
I feel that we can beat Newcastle Utd and get our home results back on the
right track. On the night, I am looking for a 2-0 or 3-0 victory. I do not
think that is unrealistic if we get our selection and tactics right. Lets do
it and keep all the 'doom and gloom' merchants quiet, because if we were to
lose a third home match they will undoubtedly come out of the wood work
again. This can be a very good season for the club, we have the squad and
Bilic and the players need to make it happen. Starting this Monday evening!
COYI.
SJ. Chandos.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Zarate and Co on way back
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 9, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
The Head of West Ham's medical team has given a positive update on the
conditions of the injured first teamers. Stijn Vandenbroucke , in his latest
report on www.whufc.com says: "Mauro Zarate is progressing well and working
hard to return after suffering a hamstring injury in training, with a view
to returning to the group before the end of the week. "Alex Song is working
hard – as seen on social media – and his ankle improving, with a view to
him returning by the end of October. Enner Valencia is rehab-ing with a good
positive attitude and we hope to see him return by November, while finally
Joey O'Brien is still recovering from a calf injury.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Irons ready to let youngsters out
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 9, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
West Ham are ready to let a number of youngsters go out on loan with the
opening of the emergency window. The 'emergency loan' window opened this
morning and is not due to close until November 25th, with clubs then unable
to add to their squads until the January window opens in the new year. The
loan deals can last between 28 days and 93 days. Should clubs agree a
three-month deal, it will tie a player down until the New Year and the
January window. Young central defender Doneil Henry is one of those who
could be on his way with Blackburn Rovers still interested in the youngster
who did so well at Ewood Park last season before injury. Slaven Bilic is
also ready to let Elliott Lee, Kyle Knoyle and perhaps even Reece Oxford on
a short term deal and they haven't given up hope that James Collins and Joey
O'Brien will receive acceptable offers. ClaretandHugh was told: "We would
certanly be hoping to get a few out on loan – we have several who would
benefit greatly from first team experience."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Mooro to 'live again' on final Boleyn day!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 9, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
A massive plan is underway to have Bobby Moore make a' personal
appearance'moore at the last game to ever be played at the Boleyn on May 7,
2016 against Swansea. A plan is underway to have the club's greatest legend
appear on the Upton Park pitch and 'speak' to the fans if the hugely
ambitious project can be brought together successfully. ClaretandHugh has
learned exclusively that Mooro will appear in the form of a hologram on the
centre circle if it can be organised successfully and his "final speech"
will be produced by piecing it together from every public word he uttered.
Sound and vision engineers are trying to work out the complicated details
and one problem may be producing an effectie hologram on a May afternoon.
Among the other projects being looked at are an evening concert in which
West Ham related celebrities will star with Iron Maiden, Prodigy, Chesney
Hawkes and Katy Perry likely to be among those invited. James Corden and
Russell Brand (which may put the kibosh on Katie's appearance!!!) are also
likely to be involved along with the possible appearance of former hit maker
and Eastenders star David Essex ('Charlie Moon') But of they can bring it
together, Mooro will be the star of the day!
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
10,000 Tickets available for the Olympic Stadium
Posted by Hammers Newshound on September 9, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
An additional 10,000 tickets for Rugby World Cup matches at the London 2012
Olympic Stadium have gone on sale today. Five Rugby world matches are
scheduled to be played at the venue at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park with
roughly 2,000 tickets for each game being made available.
The bronze final on October 30th is the biggest game of the fixtures on
offer while four pool games – France v Romania on September 23rd, New
Zealand v Namibia on September 24th, Ireland v Italy on October 4th and
South Africa v United States on October 7th – are also being played at the
venue.
The extra tickets include a mixture of seats released from completion of
venue planning and configuration, handbacks from the tournament's commercial
programme and unions and tickets that have been registered for official
resale by fans who can no longer attend.
Last month, the stadium hosted its first rugby clash when Samoa were beaten
27-24 by the Barbarians where retractable seating was used for the first
time.
In total, more than 2.2 million tickets have been sold for the tournament,
which promises to be the biggest edition of the Rugby World Cup to date.
West Ham fans can try out the Stadium before we move in next year. The East
'KOP' style stand should be completed in time for the Rugby World Cup to
give Hammers fans a better understanding of what the stadium will be like
for football.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers: "We are guilty"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 9, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
West Ham will stump up the £20,000 – £30,000 fine they re likely to receive
for "failing to control their players" during the Mark Noble red card
incident. Although the FA cleared the captain of any wrong doing in the so
called challenge on Danny Ings for which he was dismissed the ruling body
have hit them with the second charge. And the Hammers decided that rather
than appeal they would accept the punishment and move on rather than get
into a debate with the body via an appeal. In breaking the news to
ClaretandHugh exclusively a very well placed source said the club didn't
believe anything could be achieved by challenging the FA decision. And he
added that he and everybody at the club was simply relieved that Noble's red
card had been rescinded and that on the secondary issue, the club was in
breach of the rules. He said: "There is slight mitigation but we are guilty.
We'll get a £20/30k fine. New rules came in this season and we breached
them. "We can accept that it's an emotional game of course but players have
to show the way to behave to supporters and set an example. It's not the
West Ham way to behave badly. It's also pointless because the referee never
ever changes his mind!"
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Downing or Payet? Stewart opens a debate
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 9, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Stewart Downing has been banging his West Ham drum again! The Middlesbrough
player has been impressive for his new club in the opening weeks of the
Championship campaign but seems unable to get the Irons off his mind. He has
now repeated his reasons for leaving the club to the BBC claiming these
included not getting the right assurances from manager Slaven Bilic to stay
at the Boleyn. He declares he really wanted something to play for at a club
he believes could realistically have finished "ninth or tenth" and that
Middlesbrough was a good challenge for him with the "big thing" of playing
for promotion at the end of the season. He admits things were "hard for
Slaven" in his first week in the job saying: "But he didn't convince me
enough to stay." "That was one thing – the other was I was playing 10 in a
free role last season and I really enjoyed it, but he didn't really give me
a guarantee and he had players coming in like Dimitri Payet, who was his
first-choice number 10. " It's a little difficult to understand why Stewart
should keep repeating the same script which we've read at least three times
now.
Things move on and so should he. After all as a non Premier League player he
does have promotion to play for as he explains. I'm all for players talking
to the media when they have something interesting to say but this one is
beginning to grow a few whiskers now.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
OWNING: LEAVING WEST HAM WAS AN EASY DECISION
By Ste Hoare
readwestham.com
Former West Ham United winger Stewart Downing says the decision to leave the
Hammers and join Middlesbrough was an easy one for him to make. Speaking to
the BBC, the England international, capped 35 times by his country, said
that moving to his hometown club to try and help them gain promotion was
more appealing to him than staying at Upton Park.
I really wanted something to play for. At West Ham where could we
realistically finish? Ninth or 10th? Even last season we did well but
finished 12th. [Middlesbrough is] a good challenge for me. It's a big thing
to play for promotion at the end of the season and it would be a massive
achievement.
When Downing was sold, new Hammers manager Slaven Bilic admitted that he
wanted to keep the former Aston Villa and Liverpool man, but said the winger
was desperate to return to Boro.
I didn't want him to go, he's a quality English player and I know how hard
it is to get the quality ones. I was counting on him big time, but he told
me that he wanted to go home. He said 'I like you and everything, but I want
to go home. If it was any other club, I would stay here'. However, Downing
seems to disagree somewhat with what Bilic said, with the England winger
believing that the Croatian didn't do enough to persuade him to stay. It's
difficult for Slaven, in his first week of the job, but he didn't convince
me enough to stay. Downing also suggested that the signing of Dimitri Payet
also made the decision to leave West Ham easier, as he knew the Frenchman
would be the first-choice in his preferred role.
That was one thing – the other was I was playing 10 in a free role last
season and I really enjoyed it, but he didn't really give me a guarantee and
he had players coming in like Dimitri Payet, who was his first-choice number
10. When I spoke to the chairman and Aitor [Karanka] here, who had good
plans and wanted me to be big part of that, it was an easy decision to make.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's Boys of '86 were virtually unbeatable at the Boleyn Ground
during their record-setting 1985/86 season. The Hammers won 17 and lost just
two of their 21 home Division One matches, scoring 48 goals and conceding
just 16. John Lyall's team hit top form at home to West Bromwich Albion on
30 November 1985, with Alan Devonshire, George Parris, Geoff Pike and Neil
Orr scoring in a 4-0 victory that took the Hammers third in the table. On
Monday 14 September, the Boys of '86 will be honoured as part of the Club's
Farewell Boleyn celebrations at the Barclays Premier League fixture with
Newcastle United.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
From the Treatment Room
WHUFC.com
Hello everyone,
We have had a different sort of week this week, with it being the
international break and eleven players being away on duty with their
countries, and four new signings to work with.
With less players around, it gives us the opportunity to focus even more
closely on the rehabilitation with the injured players, and on getting the
new signings and those players returning from injury fitter and sharper.
At the end of the micro cycle we had with the smaller squad, we held an
11v11 match at Chadwell Heath to simulate match conditions and give valuable
minutes to the likes of Andy Carroll, Michail Antonio, Victor Moses and
Nikica Jelavic.
We hope to have all the players back from international duty free from
injury and it will be good to get the whole group back together on Friday,
after the players' day off, and then we will be fully focused on preparing
them for Monday's home game against Newcastle United.
Injury-wise, we do not have too much to report.
Mauro Zarate is progressing well and working hard to return after suffering
a hamstring injury in training, with a view to returning to the group before
the end of the week.
One of our new signings, Alex Song is working hard – as you will have seen
on social media – and his ankle improving, with a view to him returning by
the end of October.
Enner Valencia is rehabbing with a good positive attitude and we hope to see
him return by November, while finally Joey O'Brien is still recovering from
a calf injury.
Stijn Vandenbroucke
Head of Medical and Sports Science
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Cresswell excited by new arrivals
WHUFc.com
Aaron Cresswell says he is excited by the four new arrivals on transfer
deadline day and hopes the Club enjoy a memorable final season at the Boleyn
Ground. After beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield, Slaven Bilic was left
celebrating again when the Club enjoyed a great end to the transfer window
bringing in Alex Song, Victor Moses, Michail Antonio and Nikica Jelavic.
Cresswell played with Song last season and knows the quality he will bring
to the first-team. The talented full-back is also relishing the chance to
play alongside the other three arrivals and feels the squad is looking very
strong and has strength in depth throughout the team. Cresswell said: "There
were four who came in on the last day, and we know Alex from before. "But
the ones that came in during the summer as well have been fantastic from the
moment they walked in the door and hopefully the new boys can hit the ground
running straight away as well on Monday (against Newcastle).
"We have brought four in and it definitely adds to our strength in depth."
Cresswell is still celebrating the famous win at Anfield last week and says
it was a day he will never forget – especially as most of his family were
sitting in the Liverpool end !! The Hammers managed to finally end 52-years
without getting an away win over the Reds and the Hammers full-back says all
the players are brimming with confidence over the international break.
Cresswell produced a superb display in the West Ham defence and was happy to
put behind him the mistakes that were made against Bournemouth in the
previous home game. He added: "My dad used to take me to Liverpool games
when I was younger and I used to go myself when I was a bit older. "To turn
Liverpool over away, 3-0 at Anfield was a great achievement and a real team
performance. "It was extra special because all my family were there, they
were all sitting in the Liverpool end. They are all Liverpool fans, so it
was a great day all round. "We were so full of confidence after the game and
we would have liked to have played the next day. But coming off the back of
that victory at Anfield, where we hadn't won in 52 years, it was a good day
all round. "I take full responsibility for the two sloppy mistakes I made
(against Bournemouth), but that is where you know you have to be strong and
you have to bounce back. To do it at Anfield was special. "Every footballer
has ups and downs and you have to take the good with the bad and be a strong
player."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Lanzini scores wonder goal
WHUFC.com
West Ham United's new signings Michail Antonio and Nikica Jelavic wasted no
time getting among the goals in training but it was Manuel Lanzini who stole
the show as the players looked to impress Slaven Bilic ahead of the Monday
night game against Newcastle. In a training ground match, Antonio showed his
aerial ability when he scored from a corner and Jelavic scored with an
impressive diving header from close-range. But the pick of the bunch came
from Lanzini who followed up his first Premier League goal at Anfield with a
sublime piece of skill when he scored a rabona goal to show his quality once
again.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WHAT A KOP OUT
By Iron Liddy 9 Sep 2015 at 17:00
WTID
I was thinking about what Sean said in bed yesterday morning …. hmm, perhaps
I should rephrase that. See the trouble that bad grammar can get you into?!
I was in bed yesterday morning thinking about the fact that Sean had just
referred to the new East stand in the OS as 'Kop style' in his article on
Claret & Hugh and as comments started to trickle in I could see that I'm not
alone in being unhappy about the term. As a West Ham supporter who has
already bought my seat in the East stand I have a particularly vested
interest in what it's called and I admit that it did rankle when the term
'Kop' was bandied about during Karren Brady's marketing videos and at our
presentation at the reservation centre back in May.
As I lay there pondering the issue I realised that I didn't even know where
the name 'Kop' originated. Being a bit of an anorak when it comes to
etymology I decided to Google. No doubt many of you football buffs are
already cognisant with its origin but I hope you'll bear with me while I
share the story for the benefit of those who aren't, because it is actually
quite an interesting piece of football history.
To me the Kop has always been synonymous with Anfield and I've always
presumed that it was peculiar to that stadium; so I was surprised to learn
that the first time the term was applied to a football stand was actually at
Woolwich Arsenal's Manor Ground in 1904. A local newsman likened the
silhouette of fans standing on a newly raised bank of earth to soldiers
standing atop the hill at the Battle of Spion Kop.
The Battle of Spion Kop had been fought four years earlier during the Second
Boer War on 23rd and 24th January 1900. It was fought between the South
African Republic and the Orange Free State on the one hand and British
forces on the other, during the campaign to relieve the nearby city of
Ladysmith. Spion Kop was the largest hill in the region, being over 430
metres (1,410 ft) in height and it lay almost exactly at the centre of the
Boer line. If the British could capture this position and bring artillery to
the hill then they would command the flanks of the surrounding Boer
positions. As it transpired, it was a British defeat.
Of all the Boer War battles Spion Kop retains an appalling notoriety for the
incompetence of British leadership and the slaughter of the small number of
men engaged on each side in the struggle for the top of the hill. The battle
graphically showed the failure of the British Army to understand the
requirements of modern warfare as their tactics failed to cope with powerful
long range artillery and magazine rifle fire. In addition it highlighted the
need for proper systems of communications and reconnaissance, as well as
maintenance of chains of command in action and training and leadership at
all levels.
It is also famous for being the battle during which the young Winston
Churchill and Mahatma Gandhi found themselves on the same hillside.
Churchill was a journalist stationed in South Africa and he had also been
commissioned as a lieutenant in the South African Light Horse by General
Buller after his well publicised escape from Boer captivity. Churchill acted
as a courier to and from Spion Kop and General Buller's HQ; while Gandhi
performed the role of stretcher-bearer in the Indian Ambulance Corps he had
organised.
Although the common English name for the battle is Spion Kop, throughout the
Commonwealth and its historical literature the official South African
English and Afrikaans name for the battle is Spioenkop. Spioen means "spy"
or "look-out", and kop means "hill" or "outcropping."
In 1906 Liverpool Echo sports editor Ernest Edwards pinched the London
journalist's term for Arsenal's bank of earth when he wrote of a new
open-air embankment at Anfield:
"This huge wall of earth has been termed 'Spion Kop', and no doubt this apt
name will always be used in future in referring to this spot."
The name was formally applied in 1928 upon construction of a roof.
Subsequently Liverpool FC fans have credited the Kop with being a memorial
to the fact that it was members of the Lancashire regiments who fell during
the battle but in fact regiments from all over the UK were present and also
suffered losses.
Further research revealed a bigger gap in my knowledge of football grounds
than I originally thought. Although it was the first terrace officially
named Spion Kop, many other English football clubs and some Rugby league
clubs applied the same name to stands in later years. Villa Park's old Holte
End was historically the largest of all Kop ends, closely followed by the
old South Bank at Molineux, both once regularly holding crowds in excess of
30,000. In more modern times work was completed on Hillsborough's Kop in the
mid 1980s which, with a capacity of around 22,000, made it the biggest
standing area in Europe at the time. After the Hillsborough disaster in
1989, the Kop was the last part of the Sheffield Wednesday ground to be
converted to all-seater accommodation, the change finally coming in 1993 to
comply with new FA Premier League regulations following the Taylor Report.
This had the effect of halving the capacity, but the Hillsborough Kop
remains one of the largest single tier stands in Britain.
A full list of British grounds with a history of a Kop stand can be found
here: Spion Kop Stadiums
Worried that it was just me who was oblivious to the history and existence
of Spion Kop stands in British football grounds and that my article would
have you all tutting and yawning, I quizzed Mr Lids. He also didn't know the
origin of the term or that it was applicable to any ground other than
Anfield. So cheers Sean, thanks to you I learned something new in bed
yesterday morning that my husband couldn't have taught me! ;)
So now we're all up to speed on Spion Kop stands I can't say that I'm any
more enamoured with it as a name for our new East stand at the OS. 'Iron
Kop' might have a bit of a ring to it in parodical terms but it's not
exactly auspicious is it? The site of a British defeat due to the
incompetency of our leaders. Not only that, you can't help but think of a
seething mass of Scousers whenever the name is mentioned. Nah.
So we need a name for the East stand. The North and South stands are already
taken care of and will proudly bear the names of our heroes Messrs Moore &
Brooking as they do at the Boleyn. No doubt the West stand will be the
Betway stand for the foreseeable future but the East remains nameless, as
far as we know.
Inevitably the question has already been posed and I've seen many calls for
it to be called the Chicken Run in order to retain the links with our past.
As a sucker for nostalgia myself I can empathise with that desire but the
compact, almost cosy image that the name conjures up seems too incongruous
with the vastness of our new East stand somehow. Personally I think it would
be good to have at least one stand with a brand new name to reflect both our
history and our new era and that the ghosts of the Chicken Run are better
left swaying gently in the past.
So instead of getting out of bed to feed the cats and make the tea I lay
there thinking laterally. With a founder fortuitously named Arnold Hills
that would seem an obvious choice, what with the word 'kop' being Afrikaans
for 'hill'. In your best Julie Andrews voice: "The Hills are alive with the
sound of Bubbles …." Perhaps not.
This set me off thinking about hills and high places in Newham ….. Beckton
Ski Slope? Nope, that's just taking the piste. Probably the highest points
games at The Boleyn have been watched from are the flats in Priory Road or
the block that used to stand behind the North Bank; which was famously, and
dangerously, used as a grandstand when West Ham played Hereford in an FA Cup
fourth round replay in 1972. 'ealf and Safety? That's for yer bloody pansies
innit, as dear old Alf would say.
Hmm, The Priory? That sounds like an appropriate place for 20,000 poor souls
hopelessly addicted to West Ham with little chance of recovery. I don't
think I want to sit in a stand with a name that's synonymous with
rehabilitation though ….. in the words of Luther Ingram, if loving you is
wrong, I don't wanna be right.
What about our shipbuilding heritage? Surely that's a rich vein of
inspiration I pondered. A bit of horizontal Googling revealed that the final
battleship to be built by Thames Ironworks was HMS Thunderer, the last and
largest warship ever built on the River Thames. The Thunderer? That isn't a
bad name for a wall of noise. However, further reading revealed that before
she was built Thames Ironworks had been struggling for some time, with most
orders going to the Northern yards. Arnold Hills threatened parliament with
the prospect of some awkward questions and as a result Thames Ironworks
received the order for the Thunderer. Although it was a very important and
prestigious order, the building of HMS Thunderer broke the shipyard. Even
though Britain was in the grip of a massive naval shipbuilding race the
banks withdrew their loans and the Thames Ironworks shipyard at Bow creek
went into bankruptcy, causing massive unemployment in Blackwall and Canning
Town. Not such a good omen then.
Next I began to think about the characteristics of the battleships
themselves and hit upon the idea of The Broadside. As I'm sure you know, the
broadside is the side of a ship and specifically the battery of cannon on
one side of a warship. Additionally, the term broadside is a measurement of
a vessel's maximum simultaneous firepower which can be delivered upon a
single target. This is calculated by multiplying the shell weight of the
ship's main armament shells times the number of barrels that can be brought
to bear. Perfect, so our maximum simultaneous fan-power from The Broadside
of our new stadium will be 20,000 x as loud as we can bloody sing. WE ARE
SLAVEN'S CLARET AND BLUE NAVY!! That'll confuse the buggers and blow them
out of the water.
By now the cats were scratching the carpet in hunger and my husband was
beginning to stir so it was time to abandon my solitary brainstorming
session to the conclusion that there really is no better name than The
Boleyn Wall, which is already a popular choice among many West Ham fans. It
tells the story of an important part of our heritage and would ensure that
the name of our home for over a century stays on the lips of our fans for
generations to come. We may not be taking the castles with us physically but
metaphorically we could create a formidable fortress of fans with The Boleyn
Wall.
COME ON YOU IRONS!
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
THE NEWCASTLE UNITED MATCH - TAKE IT 'NICE AND STEADY' TO SECURE THE WIN!
By S J Chandos 9 Sep 2015 at 08:00
WTID
Without a shadow of doubt, It has so far been a right topsy-turvy season.
Who would have predicted in pre-season that we would gain maximum points
away to Arsenal and Liverpool and lose both home fixtures to Leicester City
and Bournemouth? Although those two home defeats were quite uncomfortable to
watch, the fact is that, in the long run, the results probably did Slaven
Bilic a massive favour. It undoubtedly concentrated the minds of the board
and strengthened Bilic's hand in pushing for the final four squad
reinforcements that have addressed the obvious prior lack within the squad.
Now we have strength in depth in virtually all positions, players that
address the lack of width and a good quality striker to cover injury
absences and increase competition up front. As a said during the transfer
window, I have no reservations about recruiting Jelavic. He can score goals
in the PL, especially with far better players around him then at Hull City.
Plus, there is the additional factor of the prior Bilic-Jelavic connection
via the Croatian national team. If anyone can get the best out of the player
then it is undoubtedly Slaven Bilic.
Personally, I have always been an advocate of the fast counter-attacking
game, especially away from home. The last time we played that type of game
well was probably when we had Craig Bellamy up front. So, the addition of
two skilful, pacy and powerful wide men, in Moses and Antonio, is a very
exciting proposition. I expect Bilic to start with Moses and Jelavic on
Monday evening when we host Newcastle Utd. It is probable that Antonio will
start on the bench and will be gradually introduced to the greater demands
of the PL. Moses is a fast and skilful wide man who can add a whole new
dimension to our attacking play. We all recall how well Moses did with Stoke
City last season and there is no reason why he should not now build upon
that with West Ham. I always tend to think of Moses as more of a provider
than a goal scorer, but hopefully he will still be able to chip in with his
fair quota of goals the season. If Moses is fast and skilful, Antonio is a
pacy and powerful winger, with the potential to score goals. Last season he
scored 15 goals for Notts Forest and that is an impressive return for a
winger. The question is whether he can make the goal scoring transition from
the Championship to the PL? I feel that he can and if he scores 8-10 goals
in his PL debut season that would be a very good return.
Indeed, any side with players that can contribute goals from midfield and/or
out wide has an enormous advantage. It takes some of the pressure off the
strikers and ensures that opposition teams have other goal scoring threats
to worry about. So, to get a goal scoring wide man in the transfer window is
a real positive, although, as I said, it is probably the best strategy to
manage Antonio's introduction to PL action. I would be surprised if Bilic
starts with two wingers, although stranger things have happened! That can
only happen if Bilic starts with just Sakho leading the attack. If he opts
to play Jelavic off of Sakho, then he will probably go with just Moses, with
Lanzini or Payet on the opposite flank. All will be revealed on Monday
evening?
Our fourth transfer deadline day addition, Alex Song, will not come in to
the first team reckoning until approximately November. Although the move was
complicated, and delayed, by Song's summer ankle surgery, it is great to
have him back on board again. As we know he is a very powerful and
influential midfielder, who was instrumental in our excellent (pre-Boxing
Day) start to last season. Yes, his form dropped off quite a bit in the New
Year, but we now know that was probably caused by the negative effects of
his ankle problem. There is every prospect that Song can now regain his
fitness and get back to his very best form.
Equipped with our new summer additions, we now need to start rectifying our
poor initial home results. And probably the best way to do that is to start
the match 'nice and steady,' exerting the type of discipline and control
that we exhibited at the Emirates and Anfield. Yes, I want to see us play
with pace and tempo, but lets not start recklessly and get caught out at the
back. If we concede an early goal then doubts will enter the heads of our
players and that is something best avoided. Our players need to retain
possession, pick their passes and control the match. In the last two home
matches we have found ourselves 0-2 down early, caught cold on the
counter-attack and undermined by defensive mistakes. So, lets cut out the
silly mistakes, ensure that we keep it tight at the back, dominate play and
open up 'as and when.' If we manage to go 1-0 up then that will force
Newcastle Utd to throw caution to the wind, to save the match, and create
more space for our forwards to exploit.
Firstly, we need the win, but it would be a double positive if we could win
convincingly and restore our shaken self-confidence at Upton Park. To do
well this season and challenge for a top 6 finish (why not aim high?) we
need to ensure that we maximise the number of points won at Upton Park and
supplement that with a decent points haul on our travels. In short, yes, we
do need to make Upton Park a fortress again, a place that intimidates the
visiting opposition teams and where we win consistently.
I feel that we can beat Newcastle Utd and get our home results back on the
right track. On the night, I am looking for a 2-0 or 3-0 victory. I do not
think that is unrealistic if we get our selection and tactics right. Lets do
it and keep all the 'doom and gloom' merchants quiet, because if we were to
lose a third home match they will undoubtedly come out of the wood work
again. This can be a very good season for the club, we have the squad and
Bilic and the players need to make it happen. Starting this Monday evening!
COYI.
SJ. Chandos.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Zarate and Co on way back
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 9, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
The Head of West Ham's medical team has given a positive update on the
conditions of the injured first teamers. Stijn Vandenbroucke , in his latest
report on www.whufc.com says: "Mauro Zarate is progressing well and working
hard to return after suffering a hamstring injury in training, with a view
to returning to the group before the end of the week. "Alex Song is working
hard – as seen on social media – and his ankle improving, with a view to
him returning by the end of October. Enner Valencia is rehab-ing with a good
positive attitude and we hope to see him return by November, while finally
Joey O'Brien is still recovering from a calf injury.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Irons ready to let youngsters out
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 9, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
West Ham are ready to let a number of youngsters go out on loan with the
opening of the emergency window. The 'emergency loan' window opened this
morning and is not due to close until November 25th, with clubs then unable
to add to their squads until the January window opens in the new year. The
loan deals can last between 28 days and 93 days. Should clubs agree a
three-month deal, it will tie a player down until the New Year and the
January window. Young central defender Doneil Henry is one of those who
could be on his way with Blackburn Rovers still interested in the youngster
who did so well at Ewood Park last season before injury. Slaven Bilic is
also ready to let Elliott Lee, Kyle Knoyle and perhaps even Reece Oxford on
a short term deal and they haven't given up hope that James Collins and Joey
O'Brien will receive acceptable offers. ClaretandHugh was told: "We would
certanly be hoping to get a few out on loan – we have several who would
benefit greatly from first team experience."
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Mooro to 'live again' on final Boleyn day!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 9, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
A massive plan is underway to have Bobby Moore make a' personal
appearance'moore at the last game to ever be played at the Boleyn on May 7,
2016 against Swansea. A plan is underway to have the club's greatest legend
appear on the Upton Park pitch and 'speak' to the fans if the hugely
ambitious project can be brought together successfully. ClaretandHugh has
learned exclusively that Mooro will appear in the form of a hologram on the
centre circle if it can be organised successfully and his "final speech"
will be produced by piecing it together from every public word he uttered.
Sound and vision engineers are trying to work out the complicated details
and one problem may be producing an effectie hologram on a May afternoon.
Among the other projects being looked at are an evening concert in which
West Ham related celebrities will star with Iron Maiden, Prodigy, Chesney
Hawkes and Katy Perry likely to be among those invited. James Corden and
Russell Brand (which may put the kibosh on Katie's appearance!!!) are also
likely to be involved along with the possible appearance of former hit maker
and Eastenders star David Essex ('Charlie Moon') But of they can bring it
together, Mooro will be the star of the day!
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
10,000 Tickets available for the Olympic Stadium
Posted by Hammers Newshound on September 9, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
An additional 10,000 tickets for Rugby World Cup matches at the London 2012
Olympic Stadium have gone on sale today. Five Rugby world matches are
scheduled to be played at the venue at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park with
roughly 2,000 tickets for each game being made available.
The bronze final on October 30th is the biggest game of the fixtures on
offer while four pool games – France v Romania on September 23rd, New
Zealand v Namibia on September 24th, Ireland v Italy on October 4th and
South Africa v United States on October 7th – are also being played at the
venue.
The extra tickets include a mixture of seats released from completion of
venue planning and configuration, handbacks from the tournament's commercial
programme and unions and tickets that have been registered for official
resale by fans who can no longer attend.
Last month, the stadium hosted its first rugby clash when Samoa were beaten
27-24 by the Barbarians where retractable seating was used for the first
time.
In total, more than 2.2 million tickets have been sold for the tournament,
which promises to be the biggest edition of the Rugby World Cup to date.
West Ham fans can try out the Stadium before we move in next year. The East
'KOP' style stand should be completed in time for the Rugby World Cup to
give Hammers fans a better understanding of what the stadium will be like
for football.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hammers: "We are guilty"
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 9, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
West Ham will stump up the £20,000 – £30,000 fine they re likely to receive
for "failing to control their players" during the Mark Noble red card
incident. Although the FA cleared the captain of any wrong doing in the so
called challenge on Danny Ings for which he was dismissed the ruling body
have hit them with the second charge. And the Hammers decided that rather
than appeal they would accept the punishment and move on rather than get
into a debate with the body via an appeal. In breaking the news to
ClaretandHugh exclusively a very well placed source said the club didn't
believe anything could be achieved by challenging the FA decision. And he
added that he and everybody at the club was simply relieved that Noble's red
card had been rescinded and that on the secondary issue, the club was in
breach of the rules. He said: "There is slight mitigation but we are guilty.
We'll get a £20/30k fine. New rules came in this season and we breached
them. "We can accept that it's an emotional game of course but players have
to show the way to behave to supporters and set an example. It's not the
West Ham way to behave badly. It's also pointless because the referee never
ever changes his mind!"
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Downing or Payet? Stewart opens a debate
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 9, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Stewart Downing has been banging his West Ham drum again! The Middlesbrough
player has been impressive for his new club in the opening weeks of the
Championship campaign but seems unable to get the Irons off his mind. He has
now repeated his reasons for leaving the club to the BBC claiming these
included not getting the right assurances from manager Slaven Bilic to stay
at the Boleyn. He declares he really wanted something to play for at a club
he believes could realistically have finished "ninth or tenth" and that
Middlesbrough was a good challenge for him with the "big thing" of playing
for promotion at the end of the season. He admits things were "hard for
Slaven" in his first week in the job saying: "But he didn't convince me
enough to stay." "That was one thing – the other was I was playing 10 in a
free role last season and I really enjoyed it, but he didn't really give me
a guarantee and he had players coming in like Dimitri Payet, who was his
first-choice number 10. " It's a little difficult to understand why Stewart
should keep repeating the same script which we've read at least three times
now.
Things move on and so should he. After all as a non Premier League player he
does have promotion to play for as he explains. I'm all for players talking
to the media when they have something interesting to say but this one is
beginning to grow a few whiskers now.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
OWNING: LEAVING WEST HAM WAS AN EASY DECISION
By Ste Hoare
readwestham.com
Former West Ham United winger Stewart Downing says the decision to leave the
Hammers and join Middlesbrough was an easy one for him to make. Speaking to
the BBC, the England international, capped 35 times by his country, said
that moving to his hometown club to try and help them gain promotion was
more appealing to him than staying at Upton Park.
I really wanted something to play for. At West Ham where could we
realistically finish? Ninth or 10th? Even last season we did well but
finished 12th. [Middlesbrough is] a good challenge for me. It's a big thing
to play for promotion at the end of the season and it would be a massive
achievement.
When Downing was sold, new Hammers manager Slaven Bilic admitted that he
wanted to keep the former Aston Villa and Liverpool man, but said the winger
was desperate to return to Boro.
I didn't want him to go, he's a quality English player and I know how hard
it is to get the quality ones. I was counting on him big time, but he told
me that he wanted to go home. He said 'I like you and everything, but I want
to go home. If it was any other club, I would stay here'. However, Downing
seems to disagree somewhat with what Bilic said, with the England winger
believing that the Croatian didn't do enough to persuade him to stay. It's
difficult for Slaven, in his first week of the job, but he didn't convince
me enough to stay. Downing also suggested that the signing of Dimitri Payet
also made the decision to leave West Ham easier, as he knew the Frenchman
would be the first-choice in his preferred role.
That was one thing – the other was I was playing 10 in a free role last
season and I really enjoyed it, but he didn't really give me a guarantee and
he had players coming in like Dimitri Payet, who was his first-choice number
10. When I spoke to the chairman and Aitor [Karanka] here, who had good
plans and wanted me to be big part of that, it was an easy decision to make.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus
Wednesday, September 9
Daily WHUFC News - 9th September 2015
On this day - 9 September
WHUFC.com
Classic match
Aston Villa 2-4 West Ham United
Division One
9 September 1961
The Hammers travelled to Birmingham to take on Aston Villa on this day in
1961, having won two, drawn two and lost two in a balanced start to the new
campaign.
Their record would be improved with a strong display at Villa Park, which
saw them run in four goals to collect both points on offer in front of a
32,000-strong crowd.
Centre forward John Dick scored twice, while Tony Scott and Alan Sealey were
also on target on a successful afternoon for the Londoners, helped by two
errors by home goalkeeper Geoff Sidebottom. Those mistakes helped West Ham
twice come from behind during a topsy-turvy game which saw all six goals
scored in the second half.
Vic Crowe put the home side in front a minute after the break, but Dick
equalised within 60 seconds. Peter McParland made it 2-1 to Villa on 58
minutes, only for Scott to equalise again on 62 and Dick to put the Hammers
ahead for the first time on 64. Sealey would seal the points, fittingly,
with 16 minutes remaining.
Villa and the Hammers would be locked together in the Division One table for
much of the 1961/62 season, with the two claret and blue clubs finishing in
seventh and eighth place respectively.
Complete record - 9 September
1922 West Ham United 4-0 Rotherham County (Division Two)
1929 West Ham United 5-1 Newcastle United (Division One)
1933 West Ham United 1-2 Burnley (Division Two)
1935 West Ham United 1-0 Bradford Park Avenue (Division Two)
1936 Newcastle United 5-3 West Ham United (Division Two)
1946 Fulham 3-2 West Ham United (Division Two)
1950 Blackburn Rovers 1-3 West Ham United (Division Two)
1957 West Ham United 0-3 Sheffield United (Division Two)
1959 Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 West Ham United (Division One)
1961 Aston Villa 2-4 West Ham United (Division One)
1963 Nottingham Forest 2-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1967 Sunderland 1-5 West Ham United (Division One)
1972 Chelsea 1-3 West Ham United (Division One)
1978 Burnley 3-2 West Ham United (Division Two)
1989 West Ham United 1-1 Swindon Town (Division Two)
1998 West Ham United 3-4 Wimbledon (Premier League)
Played 16, Won 7, Drawn 2, Lost 7, Scored 39, Conceded 31
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Woods - Randolph has got his just rewards
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Goalkeeping Coach Chris Woods has nothing but praise for the
way Darren Randolph kept his composure to keep a clean sheet against
Liverpool and hopes to see him keep out the Newcastle forwards on Monday
night. Randolph did not enjoy the best of starts to life in the Premier
League when the Hammers suffered a 4-3 home defeat against Bournemouth. But
the Republic of Ireland international refused to let his confidence drop and
bounced back in style when he played his part in a memorable 3-0 away win
over Liverpool at Anfield.
Woods says it was just rewards for the hard work he has put into training
since he joined the Club during the summer and with Adrian serving the final
game of his three-match ban, Randolph has another chance to impress Slaven
Bilic and show that he should be a first-team regular.
Woods said: "After the Bournemouth game he worked hard on the training
ground and his confidence was still high going into the Liverpool game. "He
didn't have a lot to do but when he was called upon. he did very well and
coming out of the game his confidence will be even better. He works hard at
his game and he got his just rewards. "He made some important saves against
Bournemouth but the goals went in and he couldn't do anything about them.
All credit that he has dug in and concentrated on what he needed to do."
The spirit among the camp has been sky high over the international break
following the victory at Anfield and Woods is now hoping the team can record
their first home win of the season and make it a night to remember under the
lights when they face Newcastle. Woods added: "There is no substitute for
hard work and you need to take your chances when they come along which we
have done in the two away games. We need to build on that and keep moving
forward. "I have been going there (to Liverpool) as a coach for the last 15
years and never got a victory so it was very nice to come away with the
three points. "It is such a formidable place to go and get the victory and
it is one that should stick in the memory of the players. "It is nice to go
into an international break having a good result because you enjoy that
time. We want to keep the momentum going and hopefully we can do that
against Newcastle."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Dickens' tale of two clubs
WHUFC.com
Broadcaster Ian 'Moose' Abrahams begins a week-long series of interviews
with the players who became West Ham United's Boys of '86 – starting with a
revealing conversation with midfielder Alan Dickens…
When a subject was suggested to me for today's Moose Meets… I thought he had
a great idea. I said to myself 'It is a far, far better thing that I do,
than I have ever done' in speaking to Dickens – not Charles, but Alan.
You see, as Alan will explain to you, his time at Upton Park could be summed
up in true Dickensian language: "It was the best of times, it was the worst
of times."
I met Alan earlier in the week in the home dressing room here at the Boleyn
Ground – an area which has changed considerably since the early 1980s, when
Alan made his debut.
Tall, with an eye for goal from midfield and wearing No10, having come
through the ranks he was seen as the next Trevor Brooking.
I put it to Alan that there were Great Expectations on him when he got into
the first team.
"I think at the time, being a young player and with Trevor Brooking being
such an amazing footballer, it was an honour and a privilege to be linked
with his name," said Alan.
"It kind of happened when I was 13 or 14 when I played district games and
people said that I played a bit like Trevor and it kind of stuck. But, as
time went on it became a real burden.
"I was bought up watching Trevor play and he was outstanding. Even in
training he was a fantastic footballer and I think the shoes were too big
for me to fill."
Despite being labelled the next Brooking, Dickens never spoke to the Hammers
legend.
"I never, ever spoke to Trevor about football at all. I was a young
apprentice while Trevor was here so never spoke to him about football. I
don't know why, but he never said for me to do this or to do that.
"I think, as young players at West Ham, you were in awe of the first team
players, you were bought up that way. We knocked on the dressing room door
and asked if we could pick up the kit, and being a fan they were my idols –
not just Trevor but the likes of Billy Bonds too."
Dickens career began with him winning the FA Youth Cup in 1981. Alan told me
he was still a schoolboy at the time and went to school the day after
lifting the trophy!
His first-team debut came against Notts County at Meadow Lane in December
1982.
"We had a lot of injuries and John Lyall told me on the Friday that I was
going to play. Notts County were quite a decent team, but I don't think I
was nervous, I was just looking forward to it.
"All my family all drove up to Nottingham to watch, but I didn't know until
I got home afterwards that they got stuck in traffic and didn't get there
until half-time, and I scored after six minutes so it was a real
disappointment for me and for them.
"It was such a surreal day. I can't remember anything really about the game
or even the goal, but I think I got the bus home from Upton Park and I
remember standing in my street, thinking 'Did that really happen?'.
"No-one was at home for me to talk to as they were coming back from the
game. I went out that night with my mates to a party and didn't believe it
had happened until I saw the papers the next day, and even then thought 'Was
that really me?'."
The first chapter in Dickens' career had been written and the rest of the
season was a success.
"I stayed in the team and played 15 games that season, scoring six goals,
but I didn't realise what was happening. You don't realise when you're 18
what's going on – you just go out and play football.
"The money never came into it. When I broke into the first team, I was still
an apprentice and think I got £25 a week."
Alan was a member of the side which finished third in 1985/86 but, in 1989,
left for Chelsea. Looking back, Stamford Bridge proved to be a bit of a
Bleak House for Alan.
Born and bought up in the East End, why did the self-confessed Hammers fan
leave for west London?
"I look back and ask the same question to myself," said Alan with a heavy
sigh, "the main reason was that John Lyall got the sack that summer and
there was a whisper that Lou Macari was going to be the manager and that
things were going to change at West Ham.
"I had no intentions of leaving whatsoever, but I was friends with the son
of the Chelsea manager Bobby Campbell and he rang me lots of times saying he
wanted me to join.
"Even when I signed for Chelsea, I should have been on such a high, but the
feeling was never there and I thought to myself I perhaps should have stayed
where I was.
"I was 24, had been bought up in West Ham, still lived round the corner, my
Mum was round the corner and perhaps I should have stayed here."
Contrary to popular opinion it was not injuries that meant Alan was not a
success at Stamford Bridge. In fact, Alan is completely honest – it was
probably down to him.
"I should've been a little bit stronger, Chelsea's changing room was
completely different to West Ham's. At West Ham, everyone looked out for
each other, while at Chelsea it was every man for himself and I'm not very
good at that. I like being part of a team.
"They had some strong personalities – Graham Roberts had been at Spurs,
Peter Nicholas was the captain of Wales, there were Kerry Dixon, Dennis Wise
and Andy Townsend, all strong characters. They'd been the top players at
their teams and all wanted to be the top man. If you didn't look after
yourself, you got left behind and I got left behind. I have no regrets. It
makes you the person you are."
There's always MORE you could write when it comes to Dickens. Alan's story
is a real down to earth, honest story.
Speaking to Dickens was a novel idea ahead, and his story is one of how the
grass isn't always greener elsewhere.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
U18s unlucky against Arsenal
WHUFC.com
West Ham United U18s were unlucky to lose 1-0 to their Arsenal counterparts
after a strong performance went unrewarded. From the first minute to the
last, the young Hammers looked to dominate possession however it was the
hosts who took the lead shortly before half-time after a ball into the box
was inadvertently turned in by defender Tunji Akinola. Under the watchful
eye of Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, who has recently re-joined the club in
a coaching capacity, it was former Gunner George Dobson who went close to
breaking the deadlock after ten minutes. The midfielder burst through the
defence, and baring down on goal, forced an excellent save from the Arsenal
goalkeeper. Buoyed by the early chance, the Hammers grew in confidence with
Marcus Browne and Dobson dominating the midfield. Despite being in the
ascendency, it was the hosts Arsenal who took the lead in somewhat fortunate
circumstances as Akinola, who had an impressive game, could do nothing to
stop a cross deflect off his outstretched leg and past Tim Brown. After the
break, the Hammers refused to be cowed and they responded strongly. Defender
Declan Rice, only recently returned from Ireland U17 international duty in
Hungary, went close with a header. Browne swung in a teasing delivery which
Rice, candidate for man of the match, attacked viciously, yet saw it fly
just over the bar. Young striker Idris Kanu also went close, reacting
quickest to Browne's parried long-distance effort, he fired just wide from
an acute angle. The U18s are next in action a week on Saturday when they
host Chelsea at Little Heath on Saturday 19 September.
U18: Brown, Sylvestre, Borg, Carter (Eggleton), Akinola, Rice, Powell,
Dobson, Kanu (Henry), Browne, Diangana (Lewis)
Subs not used: Boness (GK)
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Keepers battle it out
WHUFC.com
The West Ham United keepers stayed behind for an extra challenge after
training and West Ham TV was on hand to see who came out on top.
Goalkeeping Coach Chris Woods had just put Adrian, Darren Randolph and
Raphael Spiegel through their paces in an intense session at the Club's
training ground. But he also decided to join in on the fun as the keepers
battled each other in a crossbar challenge.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Boys of '86 set for Boleyn return
WHUFC.com
West Ham United will continue to bid a fond farewell to the Boleyn Ground
with the second themed match of the season for the visit of Newcastle United
on Monday 14 September.
The Hammers will honour the Boys of '86 – the squad of players who achieved
the Club's best-ever league finish of third in the old Division One exactly
30 years ago.
The likes of Tony Cottee, Frank McAvennie, Ray Stewart, Alan Devonshire,
Alan Dickens and Mark Ward will all be back at the Boleyn for the Barclays
Premier League clash with the Magpies - for which a VERY LIMITED number of
tickets remain available to buy here.
The Boys of '86 thrashed Monday's visitors 8-1 in April 1986, with Alvin
Martin scoring a hat-trick past three different goalkeepers! Send your own
memories of that famous season to programme@westhamunited.co.uk and the best
will be included in Monday's Official Programme.
To get you in the mood for what promises to be a memorable evening of
nostalgia, we will be building up to the big game – which will be screened
live in the UK by Sky Sports and across the world – with a host of features
across our digital and social media platforms.
Hammer Time – The popular Hammer Time panel show will see Boys of '86
captain Alvin Martin joined by long-serving Daily Mirror reporter and West
Ham fan Steve Stammers, who was in the Press Box throughout that
unforgettable campaign.
Interviews – Broadcaster and programme columnist Ian 'Moose' Abrahams has
interviewed many of the Boys of '86 over recent seasons, and we will be
bringing you the best of those interviews on West Ham TV and whufc.com each
and every day between now and 14 September.
Highlights and Goals – We will be broadcasting highlights and goals from our
favourite Boys of '86 matches throughout the week leading up to the visit of
Newcastle United, including the day Alvin Martin scored a unique hat-trick
past three different Magpies goalkeepers!
Competition – We want you to be involved, too! Follow us on Twitter
@whufc_official and submit photos of your favourite Boys of '86 memorabilia
– programmes, ticket stubs, shirts or signed photos, for example – using the
hashtag #MyBoysof86 and the best entries will win a special prize!
Star Guests – The Boys of '86 will be back at the Boleyn Ground on the night
itself and will be presented to the crowd. West Ham TV will be there to
cover this fantastic occasion, so make sure you log-in or subscribe now –
completely free of charge!
Programme – Monday's 100-page Official Programme for the visit of Newcastle
United will feature exclusive interviews, photos and much more Boys of '86
themed content, along with all the latest news from West Ham United. You can
order online here now, or pick up a copy in or around the Boleyn Ground on
matchday, priced £3.50.
Social Media - We want you to get involved on the night too, so please pull
on your original or retro kit from the best league season in West Ham United
history and send us a photo on Twitter or Instgram using the hashtag
#Boysof86.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Kevin Nolan: Former West Ham midfielder trains with Leyton Orient
BBC.co.uk
Kevin Nolan is training with League Two side Leyton Orient. The 33-year-old
midfielder is looking for a new club after recently leaving West Ham by
mutual consent. "It is great to have such a model professional in Kevin at
the club and I am more than happy for Kevin to come in and train with the
squad," Orient boss Ian Hendon told the club's website. "It is good for our
players to be training with a vastly experienced and talented Premier League
midfielder." Nolan made 157 appearances for West Ham, scoring 31 goals,
following his arrival from Newcastle in June 2011. The Hammers won promotion
to the top flight in his first season at Upton Park. He left after being
told he would not be guaranteed first-team football under manager Slaven
Bilic.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Oh no, not again! Taylor to take Newcastle clash
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 8th September 2015
By: Staff Writer
The chances of West Ham United's forthcoming Premier League meeting with
Newcastle United passing without major controversy have taken a major blow
after it was confirmed that Anthony Taylor has been appointed as referee.
The bumbling official, who hails from Wythenshawe in Greater Manchester was
responsible for dismissing goalkeeper Adrian against Leicester City last
month - a decision that West Ham failed to overturn upon appeal. Taylor was
also responsible for the ludicrous dismissals of West Ham's Carlton Cole and
Everton's Darren Gibson in a Premier League meeting at the Boleyn Ground in
December 2012. And slightly more recently, in April 2014, the 36-year-old
was savaged once more by Hammers fans following his performance in a 2-1
home defeat against Liverpool - a game in which he awarded two incredibly
weak penalties to the visitors; game-changing decisions that swung the match
in their favour.
KUMB.com's match report from the game - headed 'West Ham Utd 1-2 Anthony
Taylor' - recalled how "the cretinous halfwit" incensed home fans with his
performance on the day. "Once again it was the man in the middle who was to
ultimately decide the outcome of the game," it read. "For without his
intervention Liverpool, who failed to score from open play, may well have
gone home empty-handed."
A Premier League referee since 2010, Taylor has taken charge of three top
flight fixtures thus far this season in which he has shown 13 yellow cards
and just the one red (to West Ham's Adrian).
Last season his tally of 115 yellow cards was only beaten by Mike Dean and
Martin Atkinson. And since being appointed by the PGMOL five years ago, he
had averaged one red card every five games.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Former Chelsea and West Ham striker Carlton Cole banned from driving for the
third time
12:46, 8 SEPTEMBER 2015 UPDATED 12:50, 8 SEPTEMBER 2015
BY MIRROR FOOTBALL
Cole found himself in hot water after failing to tell police who was behind
the wheel of his Jaguar when it was clocked doing 33mph in a 20mph zone
The Mirror
Former Premier League star Carlton Cole has been banned from driving for two
years. The ex- Chelsea and West Ham striker found himself in hot water after
failing to tell police who was behind the wheel of his Jaguar when it was
clocked doing 33mph in a 20mph zone in central London. City of London
magistrates heard Cole, who is currently in the US after being released by
the Hammers in the summer, was asked to produce his ID on two occasions, but
failed to respond to either police notice. The 31-year-old claimed he was
"highly disorganised and does not deal with his post efficiently" but
insisted he had returned the form on time. Cole had requested for the
hearing to be adjourned. However, the former England international was hit
with a third ban in as many years, and ordered to pay £300 in fines and
costs.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
David Sullivan has no plans to sell West Ham
Posted by Hammers Newshound on September 8, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
David Sullivan repeats that he has no plans to sell West Ham when the club
moves to the Olympic Stadium. The Hammers' majority shareholder insists he
is in for the long haul and is desperate to establish the club as one of the
best teams in the country before eventually handing over to his sons.
In an exclusive and wide-ranging interview with our friends over at Blowing
Bubbles Monthly, the 66-year-old claimed he would only ever consider selling
up if the deal would allow a huge injection of cash into the club's playing
squad. 'If the King of Saudi Arabia or a multi, multi-billionaire – like the
owners of Manchester City – wanted to take over and I felt it was for the
good of the club, I would step aside but I really don't think that will ever
happen. 'There aren't many multi, multi-billionaires left out there that are
interested in football and haven't already got a club. In fact I don't think
there is one that exists!'
Elsewhere in the September issue of the magazine, Sky Sports' Bianca
Westwood defends former captain Kevin Nolan in her column.
'I think he deserves a bit more respect and gratitude than he has received.
Some fans feel that, because they go to the games and pay good money, they
can say and do what they want. But these people have to remember that the
players are only human. One thing you can never accuse him of was being
lazy. He worked hard for the team and did everything he could.'
Elsewhere George Parris writes in his column that West Ham now have the best
squad ever compiled by the club in living memory and Nottingham Forest fan
John Payne explains why West Ham have got a gem in Michail Antonio. Blowing
Bubbles also asks whether or not West Ham were right to throw the towel in
on their Euro dream and if Morgan Amalfitano should get a chance to redeem
himself
The latest issue of Blowing Bubbles Monthly is now available to read for
FREE on your computer, tablet or mobile phone.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
DG's dignity at "porn" jibe
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 8, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
David Gold has responded with dignity to a jibe from a Twitter follower
declaring West Ham is "a club built on porn." It followed a comment from
celebrity fan, comic,James Corbyn, who had tweeted he was "pretty sure this
is the best transfer deadline day @whufc_official have ever had. Thank you
@davidgold David Sullivan and Karen Brady x"
That immediately drew out a certain Joe Peelgrini who snarled viciously:
"Club built on porn."
DG – who has seen more than his share of such malice on Twitter responded
with huge integrity to put @pellerspad in his place.
He declared: "Our club is built on tradition, a passion to succeed a fan
base that is unequalled and lead by men with belief. dg"
Very well said David. It's a tired old charge anyway showing as much
originality as the Tottenham Hotspur front line!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Exclusive: Irons squad member out in the cold!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 8, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Morgan Amalfitano is still out in the cold with manager Slaven Bilic and
continues to train with the Under 21 squad despite getting a first team
squad number!. The boss exiled the midfielder to the Development Squad on
disciplinary grounds after it emerged the Frenchman missed a team meeting.
Amalfitano was also reported by many media outlets as having given the
manager attitude when Bilic questioned him about his absence.. And the
outcome was that the manager banned the 30 year old training ground at
Chadwell Heath and was later reported as saying: "I have to protect the
team." The reports added him as saying: "My first job is to protect the team
and keep them as a unit. If I feel that someone is damaging it in that way I
have to react and I have done that. It was quiet meeting between the two
of us. I had to do it to keep the harmony. He's not back training with the
first-team. He's not in the first-team anymore." It was believed that his
inclusion in the first team squad had seen the two bury their differences
but ClaretandHugh learned this morning that is not the case. A highly placed
source told us that the midfielder continues to train with the youngsters
and there had been no solution to the problem He explained that Matt Jarvis'
departure ftom the club was the only reason that Amalfitano would not have
been named in the squad.. We were told exclusively:" We have 25 players and
under the rules you have to allocate. Had we not loaned out Matt Jarvis he
would have been in the squad and Morgan wouldn't."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Irons look at emergency loan window
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 8, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
West Ham are unlikely to be using the Football League's emergency loan
window to move on any of their big earners. James Collins and Joey O'Brien
are among those who were thought to be in line for possible moves into the
Championship under the window which opens tomorrow (Wed). But ClaretandHugh
was told there was little chance at present of either making a switch.
Collins has been linked with a possible move to QPR in the summer but
ClaretandHugh was told that he was unready to take the step down a division.
We were told: "It's James' decision but unless he has a change a change of
heart it's unlikely to happen."The player is in the last year of his Irons
contract which expires in June 0f 2016
Joey O'Brien has had plenty of injury problems in recent times and it
remains to be seen if any inquiries come for the defender but it seems more
likely that any movement outwards will be among younger squad members. The
20 clubs of the Premier League can loan players out to the Football League
sides which could prove mutually beneficial. The top flight side's players
gain valuable on-field experience, while the Football League teams could get
an undiscovered gem to help them gain promotion or avoid relegation.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus
WHUFC.com
Classic match
Aston Villa 2-4 West Ham United
Division One
9 September 1961
The Hammers travelled to Birmingham to take on Aston Villa on this day in
1961, having won two, drawn two and lost two in a balanced start to the new
campaign.
Their record would be improved with a strong display at Villa Park, which
saw them run in four goals to collect both points on offer in front of a
32,000-strong crowd.
Centre forward John Dick scored twice, while Tony Scott and Alan Sealey were
also on target on a successful afternoon for the Londoners, helped by two
errors by home goalkeeper Geoff Sidebottom. Those mistakes helped West Ham
twice come from behind during a topsy-turvy game which saw all six goals
scored in the second half.
Vic Crowe put the home side in front a minute after the break, but Dick
equalised within 60 seconds. Peter McParland made it 2-1 to Villa on 58
minutes, only for Scott to equalise again on 62 and Dick to put the Hammers
ahead for the first time on 64. Sealey would seal the points, fittingly,
with 16 minutes remaining.
Villa and the Hammers would be locked together in the Division One table for
much of the 1961/62 season, with the two claret and blue clubs finishing in
seventh and eighth place respectively.
Complete record - 9 September
1922 West Ham United 4-0 Rotherham County (Division Two)
1929 West Ham United 5-1 Newcastle United (Division One)
1933 West Ham United 1-2 Burnley (Division Two)
1935 West Ham United 1-0 Bradford Park Avenue (Division Two)
1936 Newcastle United 5-3 West Ham United (Division Two)
1946 Fulham 3-2 West Ham United (Division Two)
1950 Blackburn Rovers 1-3 West Ham United (Division Two)
1957 West Ham United 0-3 Sheffield United (Division Two)
1959 Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 West Ham United (Division One)
1961 Aston Villa 2-4 West Ham United (Division One)
1963 Nottingham Forest 2-0 West Ham United (Division One)
1967 Sunderland 1-5 West Ham United (Division One)
1972 Chelsea 1-3 West Ham United (Division One)
1978 Burnley 3-2 West Ham United (Division Two)
1989 West Ham United 1-1 Swindon Town (Division Two)
1998 West Ham United 3-4 Wimbledon (Premier League)
Played 16, Won 7, Drawn 2, Lost 7, Scored 39, Conceded 31
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Woods - Randolph has got his just rewards
WHUFC.com
West Ham United Goalkeeping Coach Chris Woods has nothing but praise for the
way Darren Randolph kept his composure to keep a clean sheet against
Liverpool and hopes to see him keep out the Newcastle forwards on Monday
night. Randolph did not enjoy the best of starts to life in the Premier
League when the Hammers suffered a 4-3 home defeat against Bournemouth. But
the Republic of Ireland international refused to let his confidence drop and
bounced back in style when he played his part in a memorable 3-0 away win
over Liverpool at Anfield.
Woods says it was just rewards for the hard work he has put into training
since he joined the Club during the summer and with Adrian serving the final
game of his three-match ban, Randolph has another chance to impress Slaven
Bilic and show that he should be a first-team regular.
Woods said: "After the Bournemouth game he worked hard on the training
ground and his confidence was still high going into the Liverpool game. "He
didn't have a lot to do but when he was called upon. he did very well and
coming out of the game his confidence will be even better. He works hard at
his game and he got his just rewards. "He made some important saves against
Bournemouth but the goals went in and he couldn't do anything about them.
All credit that he has dug in and concentrated on what he needed to do."
The spirit among the camp has been sky high over the international break
following the victory at Anfield and Woods is now hoping the team can record
their first home win of the season and make it a night to remember under the
lights when they face Newcastle. Woods added: "There is no substitute for
hard work and you need to take your chances when they come along which we
have done in the two away games. We need to build on that and keep moving
forward. "I have been going there (to Liverpool) as a coach for the last 15
years and never got a victory so it was very nice to come away with the
three points. "It is such a formidable place to go and get the victory and
it is one that should stick in the memory of the players. "It is nice to go
into an international break having a good result because you enjoy that
time. We want to keep the momentum going and hopefully we can do that
against Newcastle."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Dickens' tale of two clubs
WHUFC.com
Broadcaster Ian 'Moose' Abrahams begins a week-long series of interviews
with the players who became West Ham United's Boys of '86 – starting with a
revealing conversation with midfielder Alan Dickens…
When a subject was suggested to me for today's Moose Meets… I thought he had
a great idea. I said to myself 'It is a far, far better thing that I do,
than I have ever done' in speaking to Dickens – not Charles, but Alan.
You see, as Alan will explain to you, his time at Upton Park could be summed
up in true Dickensian language: "It was the best of times, it was the worst
of times."
I met Alan earlier in the week in the home dressing room here at the Boleyn
Ground – an area which has changed considerably since the early 1980s, when
Alan made his debut.
Tall, with an eye for goal from midfield and wearing No10, having come
through the ranks he was seen as the next Trevor Brooking.
I put it to Alan that there were Great Expectations on him when he got into
the first team.
"I think at the time, being a young player and with Trevor Brooking being
such an amazing footballer, it was an honour and a privilege to be linked
with his name," said Alan.
"It kind of happened when I was 13 or 14 when I played district games and
people said that I played a bit like Trevor and it kind of stuck. But, as
time went on it became a real burden.
"I was bought up watching Trevor play and he was outstanding. Even in
training he was a fantastic footballer and I think the shoes were too big
for me to fill."
Despite being labelled the next Brooking, Dickens never spoke to the Hammers
legend.
"I never, ever spoke to Trevor about football at all. I was a young
apprentice while Trevor was here so never spoke to him about football. I
don't know why, but he never said for me to do this or to do that.
"I think, as young players at West Ham, you were in awe of the first team
players, you were bought up that way. We knocked on the dressing room door
and asked if we could pick up the kit, and being a fan they were my idols –
not just Trevor but the likes of Billy Bonds too."
Dickens career began with him winning the FA Youth Cup in 1981. Alan told me
he was still a schoolboy at the time and went to school the day after
lifting the trophy!
His first-team debut came against Notts County at Meadow Lane in December
1982.
"We had a lot of injuries and John Lyall told me on the Friday that I was
going to play. Notts County were quite a decent team, but I don't think I
was nervous, I was just looking forward to it.
"All my family all drove up to Nottingham to watch, but I didn't know until
I got home afterwards that they got stuck in traffic and didn't get there
until half-time, and I scored after six minutes so it was a real
disappointment for me and for them.
"It was such a surreal day. I can't remember anything really about the game
or even the goal, but I think I got the bus home from Upton Park and I
remember standing in my street, thinking 'Did that really happen?'.
"No-one was at home for me to talk to as they were coming back from the
game. I went out that night with my mates to a party and didn't believe it
had happened until I saw the papers the next day, and even then thought 'Was
that really me?'."
The first chapter in Dickens' career had been written and the rest of the
season was a success.
"I stayed in the team and played 15 games that season, scoring six goals,
but I didn't realise what was happening. You don't realise when you're 18
what's going on – you just go out and play football.
"The money never came into it. When I broke into the first team, I was still
an apprentice and think I got £25 a week."
Alan was a member of the side which finished third in 1985/86 but, in 1989,
left for Chelsea. Looking back, Stamford Bridge proved to be a bit of a
Bleak House for Alan.
Born and bought up in the East End, why did the self-confessed Hammers fan
leave for west London?
"I look back and ask the same question to myself," said Alan with a heavy
sigh, "the main reason was that John Lyall got the sack that summer and
there was a whisper that Lou Macari was going to be the manager and that
things were going to change at West Ham.
"I had no intentions of leaving whatsoever, but I was friends with the son
of the Chelsea manager Bobby Campbell and he rang me lots of times saying he
wanted me to join.
"Even when I signed for Chelsea, I should have been on such a high, but the
feeling was never there and I thought to myself I perhaps should have stayed
where I was.
"I was 24, had been bought up in West Ham, still lived round the corner, my
Mum was round the corner and perhaps I should have stayed here."
Contrary to popular opinion it was not injuries that meant Alan was not a
success at Stamford Bridge. In fact, Alan is completely honest – it was
probably down to him.
"I should've been a little bit stronger, Chelsea's changing room was
completely different to West Ham's. At West Ham, everyone looked out for
each other, while at Chelsea it was every man for himself and I'm not very
good at that. I like being part of a team.
"They had some strong personalities – Graham Roberts had been at Spurs,
Peter Nicholas was the captain of Wales, there were Kerry Dixon, Dennis Wise
and Andy Townsend, all strong characters. They'd been the top players at
their teams and all wanted to be the top man. If you didn't look after
yourself, you got left behind and I got left behind. I have no regrets. It
makes you the person you are."
There's always MORE you could write when it comes to Dickens. Alan's story
is a real down to earth, honest story.
Speaking to Dickens was a novel idea ahead, and his story is one of how the
grass isn't always greener elsewhere.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
U18s unlucky against Arsenal
WHUFC.com
West Ham United U18s were unlucky to lose 1-0 to their Arsenal counterparts
after a strong performance went unrewarded. From the first minute to the
last, the young Hammers looked to dominate possession however it was the
hosts who took the lead shortly before half-time after a ball into the box
was inadvertently turned in by defender Tunji Akinola. Under the watchful
eye of Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, who has recently re-joined the club in
a coaching capacity, it was former Gunner George Dobson who went close to
breaking the deadlock after ten minutes. The midfielder burst through the
defence, and baring down on goal, forced an excellent save from the Arsenal
goalkeeper. Buoyed by the early chance, the Hammers grew in confidence with
Marcus Browne and Dobson dominating the midfield. Despite being in the
ascendency, it was the hosts Arsenal who took the lead in somewhat fortunate
circumstances as Akinola, who had an impressive game, could do nothing to
stop a cross deflect off his outstretched leg and past Tim Brown. After the
break, the Hammers refused to be cowed and they responded strongly. Defender
Declan Rice, only recently returned from Ireland U17 international duty in
Hungary, went close with a header. Browne swung in a teasing delivery which
Rice, candidate for man of the match, attacked viciously, yet saw it fly
just over the bar. Young striker Idris Kanu also went close, reacting
quickest to Browne's parried long-distance effort, he fired just wide from
an acute angle. The U18s are next in action a week on Saturday when they
host Chelsea at Little Heath on Saturday 19 September.
U18: Brown, Sylvestre, Borg, Carter (Eggleton), Akinola, Rice, Powell,
Dobson, Kanu (Henry), Browne, Diangana (Lewis)
Subs not used: Boness (GK)
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Keepers battle it out
WHUFC.com
The West Ham United keepers stayed behind for an extra challenge after
training and West Ham TV was on hand to see who came out on top.
Goalkeeping Coach Chris Woods had just put Adrian, Darren Randolph and
Raphael Spiegel through their paces in an intense session at the Club's
training ground. But he also decided to join in on the fun as the keepers
battled each other in a crossbar challenge.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Boys of '86 set for Boleyn return
WHUFC.com
West Ham United will continue to bid a fond farewell to the Boleyn Ground
with the second themed match of the season for the visit of Newcastle United
on Monday 14 September.
The Hammers will honour the Boys of '86 – the squad of players who achieved
the Club's best-ever league finish of third in the old Division One exactly
30 years ago.
The likes of Tony Cottee, Frank McAvennie, Ray Stewart, Alan Devonshire,
Alan Dickens and Mark Ward will all be back at the Boleyn for the Barclays
Premier League clash with the Magpies - for which a VERY LIMITED number of
tickets remain available to buy here.
The Boys of '86 thrashed Monday's visitors 8-1 in April 1986, with Alvin
Martin scoring a hat-trick past three different goalkeepers! Send your own
memories of that famous season to programme@westhamunited.co.uk and the best
will be included in Monday's Official Programme.
To get you in the mood for what promises to be a memorable evening of
nostalgia, we will be building up to the big game – which will be screened
live in the UK by Sky Sports and across the world – with a host of features
across our digital and social media platforms.
Hammer Time – The popular Hammer Time panel show will see Boys of '86
captain Alvin Martin joined by long-serving Daily Mirror reporter and West
Ham fan Steve Stammers, who was in the Press Box throughout that
unforgettable campaign.
Interviews – Broadcaster and programme columnist Ian 'Moose' Abrahams has
interviewed many of the Boys of '86 over recent seasons, and we will be
bringing you the best of those interviews on West Ham TV and whufc.com each
and every day between now and 14 September.
Highlights and Goals – We will be broadcasting highlights and goals from our
favourite Boys of '86 matches throughout the week leading up to the visit of
Newcastle United, including the day Alvin Martin scored a unique hat-trick
past three different Magpies goalkeepers!
Competition – We want you to be involved, too! Follow us on Twitter
@whufc_official and submit photos of your favourite Boys of '86 memorabilia
– programmes, ticket stubs, shirts or signed photos, for example – using the
hashtag #MyBoysof86 and the best entries will win a special prize!
Star Guests – The Boys of '86 will be back at the Boleyn Ground on the night
itself and will be presented to the crowd. West Ham TV will be there to
cover this fantastic occasion, so make sure you log-in or subscribe now –
completely free of charge!
Programme – Monday's 100-page Official Programme for the visit of Newcastle
United will feature exclusive interviews, photos and much more Boys of '86
themed content, along with all the latest news from West Ham United. You can
order online here now, or pick up a copy in or around the Boleyn Ground on
matchday, priced £3.50.
Social Media - We want you to get involved on the night too, so please pull
on your original or retro kit from the best league season in West Ham United
history and send us a photo on Twitter or Instgram using the hashtag
#Boysof86.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Kevin Nolan: Former West Ham midfielder trains with Leyton Orient
BBC.co.uk
Kevin Nolan is training with League Two side Leyton Orient. The 33-year-old
midfielder is looking for a new club after recently leaving West Ham by
mutual consent. "It is great to have such a model professional in Kevin at
the club and I am more than happy for Kevin to come in and train with the
squad," Orient boss Ian Hendon told the club's website. "It is good for our
players to be training with a vastly experienced and talented Premier League
midfielder." Nolan made 157 appearances for West Ham, scoring 31 goals,
following his arrival from Newcastle in June 2011. The Hammers won promotion
to the top flight in his first season at Upton Park. He left after being
told he would not be guaranteed first-team football under manager Slaven
Bilic.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Oh no, not again! Taylor to take Newcastle clash
KUMB.com
Filed: Tuesday, 8th September 2015
By: Staff Writer
The chances of West Ham United's forthcoming Premier League meeting with
Newcastle United passing without major controversy have taken a major blow
after it was confirmed that Anthony Taylor has been appointed as referee.
The bumbling official, who hails from Wythenshawe in Greater Manchester was
responsible for dismissing goalkeeper Adrian against Leicester City last
month - a decision that West Ham failed to overturn upon appeal. Taylor was
also responsible for the ludicrous dismissals of West Ham's Carlton Cole and
Everton's Darren Gibson in a Premier League meeting at the Boleyn Ground in
December 2012. And slightly more recently, in April 2014, the 36-year-old
was savaged once more by Hammers fans following his performance in a 2-1
home defeat against Liverpool - a game in which he awarded two incredibly
weak penalties to the visitors; game-changing decisions that swung the match
in their favour.
KUMB.com's match report from the game - headed 'West Ham Utd 1-2 Anthony
Taylor' - recalled how "the cretinous halfwit" incensed home fans with his
performance on the day. "Once again it was the man in the middle who was to
ultimately decide the outcome of the game," it read. "For without his
intervention Liverpool, who failed to score from open play, may well have
gone home empty-handed."
A Premier League referee since 2010, Taylor has taken charge of three top
flight fixtures thus far this season in which he has shown 13 yellow cards
and just the one red (to West Ham's Adrian).
Last season his tally of 115 yellow cards was only beaten by Mike Dean and
Martin Atkinson. And since being appointed by the PGMOL five years ago, he
had averaged one red card every five games.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Former Chelsea and West Ham striker Carlton Cole banned from driving for the
third time
12:46, 8 SEPTEMBER 2015 UPDATED 12:50, 8 SEPTEMBER 2015
BY MIRROR FOOTBALL
Cole found himself in hot water after failing to tell police who was behind
the wheel of his Jaguar when it was clocked doing 33mph in a 20mph zone
The Mirror
Former Premier League star Carlton Cole has been banned from driving for two
years. The ex- Chelsea and West Ham striker found himself in hot water after
failing to tell police who was behind the wheel of his Jaguar when it was
clocked doing 33mph in a 20mph zone in central London. City of London
magistrates heard Cole, who is currently in the US after being released by
the Hammers in the summer, was asked to produce his ID on two occasions, but
failed to respond to either police notice. The 31-year-old claimed he was
"highly disorganised and does not deal with his post efficiently" but
insisted he had returned the form on time. Cole had requested for the
hearing to be adjourned. However, the former England international was hit
with a third ban in as many years, and ordered to pay £300 in fines and
costs.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
David Sullivan has no plans to sell West Ham
Posted by Hammers Newshound on September 8, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
David Sullivan repeats that he has no plans to sell West Ham when the club
moves to the Olympic Stadium. The Hammers' majority shareholder insists he
is in for the long haul and is desperate to establish the club as one of the
best teams in the country before eventually handing over to his sons.
In an exclusive and wide-ranging interview with our friends over at Blowing
Bubbles Monthly, the 66-year-old claimed he would only ever consider selling
up if the deal would allow a huge injection of cash into the club's playing
squad. 'If the King of Saudi Arabia or a multi, multi-billionaire – like the
owners of Manchester City – wanted to take over and I felt it was for the
good of the club, I would step aside but I really don't think that will ever
happen. 'There aren't many multi, multi-billionaires left out there that are
interested in football and haven't already got a club. In fact I don't think
there is one that exists!'
Elsewhere in the September issue of the magazine, Sky Sports' Bianca
Westwood defends former captain Kevin Nolan in her column.
'I think he deserves a bit more respect and gratitude than he has received.
Some fans feel that, because they go to the games and pay good money, they
can say and do what they want. But these people have to remember that the
players are only human. One thing you can never accuse him of was being
lazy. He worked hard for the team and did everything he could.'
Elsewhere George Parris writes in his column that West Ham now have the best
squad ever compiled by the club in living memory and Nottingham Forest fan
John Payne explains why West Ham have got a gem in Michail Antonio. Blowing
Bubbles also asks whether or not West Ham were right to throw the towel in
on their Euro dream and if Morgan Amalfitano should get a chance to redeem
himself
The latest issue of Blowing Bubbles Monthly is now available to read for
FREE on your computer, tablet or mobile phone.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
DG's dignity at "porn" jibe
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 8, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
David Gold has responded with dignity to a jibe from a Twitter follower
declaring West Ham is "a club built on porn." It followed a comment from
celebrity fan, comic,James Corbyn, who had tweeted he was "pretty sure this
is the best transfer deadline day @whufc_official have ever had. Thank you
@davidgold David Sullivan and Karen Brady x"
That immediately drew out a certain Joe Peelgrini who snarled viciously:
"Club built on porn."
DG – who has seen more than his share of such malice on Twitter responded
with huge integrity to put @pellerspad in his place.
He declared: "Our club is built on tradition, a passion to succeed a fan
base that is unequalled and lead by men with belief. dg"
Very well said David. It's a tired old charge anyway showing as much
originality as the Tottenham Hotspur front line!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Exclusive: Irons squad member out in the cold!
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 8, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
Morgan Amalfitano is still out in the cold with manager Slaven Bilic and
continues to train with the Under 21 squad despite getting a first team
squad number!. The boss exiled the midfielder to the Development Squad on
disciplinary grounds after it emerged the Frenchman missed a team meeting.
Amalfitano was also reported by many media outlets as having given the
manager attitude when Bilic questioned him about his absence.. And the
outcome was that the manager banned the 30 year old training ground at
Chadwell Heath and was later reported as saying: "I have to protect the
team." The reports added him as saying: "My first job is to protect the team
and keep them as a unit. If I feel that someone is damaging it in that way I
have to react and I have done that. It was quiet meeting between the two
of us. I had to do it to keep the harmony. He's not back training with the
first-team. He's not in the first-team anymore." It was believed that his
inclusion in the first team squad had seen the two bury their differences
but ClaretandHugh learned this morning that is not the case. A highly placed
source told us that the midfielder continues to train with the youngsters
and there had been no solution to the problem He explained that Matt Jarvis'
departure ftom the club was the only reason that Amalfitano would not have
been named in the squad.. We were told exclusively:" We have 25 players and
under the rules you have to allocate. Had we not loaned out Matt Jarvis he
would have been in the squad and Morgan wouldn't."
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Irons look at emergency loan window
Posted by Hugh5outhon1895 on September 8, 2015 in News, Whispers
C AND H
West Ham are unlikely to be using the Football League's emergency loan
window to move on any of their big earners. James Collins and Joey O'Brien
are among those who were thought to be in line for possible moves into the
Championship under the window which opens tomorrow (Wed). But ClaretandHugh
was told there was little chance at present of either making a switch.
Collins has been linked with a possible move to QPR in the summer but
ClaretandHugh was told that he was unready to take the step down a division.
We were told: "It's James' decision but unless he has a change a change of
heart it's unlikely to happen."The player is in the last year of his Irons
contract which expires in June 0f 2016
Joey O'Brien has had plenty of injury problems in recent times and it
remains to be seen if any inquiries come for the defender but it seems more
likely that any movement outwards will be among younger squad members. The
20 clubs of the Premier League can loan players out to the Football League
sides which could prove mutually beneficial. The top flight side's players
gain valuable on-field experience, while the Football League teams could get
an undiscovered gem to help them gain promotion or avoid relegation.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
http://vyperz.blogspot.com
---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
